The impact of the Internet on children, on education, on society a global perspective.

In the last decade internet usage has grown tremendously on a global scale of almost 7 1/2 billion people on this planet approximately half of those are Internet users there are over 2 billion active social media users which predominantly access social media by their smartphones

Little doubt that the explosive growth of social media smartphones and digital devices is transforming our lives, they have brought enormous opportunities pleasure and communication knowledge-seeking in exchange but they also bring challenges and risks and we’re only just beginning to fully research these repercussions

Absorption in digital technologies is no longer the sole realm of adults even the youngest of our children are migrating online using tablets and smartphones and downloading apps children are connected mobile and social we see the evidence every day with our own eyes children appear to be going online younger and younger with the rapid uptake of tablets and other touchscreen devices

By the time they are 2 years old more than 90 per cent of all American children have had some kind of digital footprints at 5 more than 50 percents regularly interact with a computer or a tablet device and by 7 or 8 many regularly play video games up several hours per day teenagers text an average of 30 400 times a month so the fact is by the middle school our kids today are spending more time with the media there were their parents or teachers

According to a kid’s online study, the vast majority 95% of eight to 11-year-olds have accessed the Internet in the last four weeks with almost all having access to the Internet at some point in their lives

Children in this age group used multiple internet-enabled devices up to three-four ten to eleven-year-olds while the majority in this age access the Internet at home increasing numbers are using technology at school or at friends houses away from direct parental supervision one in five have reported seeing something online that bothered them in the last year and even at this young age children are avid social media users 45% of eight to 11-year-olds use social networking sites the most popular being YouTube and Facebook.

The children that grew up with these innovations are popularly dubbed the digital natives of a changing communication lamp landscape that is still evolving and only partially understood the impact of media and technology use on kids social-emotional and cognitive development is only just beginning to be studied.

The explosion of technology is changing how kids learn in a rad community and play it’s a new work for them and it’s a new work for us smartphones tablets and other digital devices now an inevitable part of life at home and in school University principal in suburban Washington says technology has made learning fun and relevant

It is a natural way to begin to get kids engaged in their learning they have moved on from just reading textbooks and completing worksheets it’s really about the process of learning and so technology allows students to be able to access information just in a matter of seconds.

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So let’s examine the positive and negative impacts that the Internet has on children

The Internet is a powerful tool that is revolutionizing our children’s learning communication and plays the modern computer and the internet offers today’s children a powerful device that if used appropriately can enhance the development of a child’s physical cognitive and social skills, in fact, a study by Kim in 2003 found that children who spend more time on the internet were more likely to spend time with other media more time with other types of physical activities and were more socially involved

It may not seem obvious to the naked eye that exposure to the Internet would have a positive effect on the physical development of children however research has shown that increased internet usage also leads to increase muscle developments and the development of fine motor skills and enhance hand-eye coordination

Children who use the Internet also show gains in cognitive abilities such as memory spatial and logical problem solving critical thinking concentration abstraction and comprehension the internet exposes children to information to improve their quality of learning and it can transform that into knowledge, furthermore through the use of the Internet’s children’s language and literacy skills are often promoted allowing for greater gains in verbal and nonverbal skills

Whilst that cannot and should not replace human interaction or relationships it allows children to socialize with other children through the use of email and chat rooms and the ironing increasing the development of their communication and social skills plus as children use the Internet to connect with places around the world and exchange mail with electronic pen pals they are able to share in different cultures and traditions often the use of the Internet in classrooms allows children to work together encouraging the sharing of ideas and cooperative learning students that find conventional methods of learning difficulties will frequently find learning via the Internet be really fun

So from this positive experience, these children improve their attitudes about learning whilst enhancing their curiosity and self-concept the finds being used as an educational tool the internet also provides entertainment children can use it to find inspiration stimulate the imagination to explore the world meet other people and gain new experiences, in other words, play although it’s not a replacement for physical social play the Internet offers a unique alternative which is really important for those that were physically disabled and or unable to engage in other types of physical play

The Internet today is part of our children’s natural environment according to tap scoffs when kids are online they’re reading thinking analyzing criticizing and authenticating composing their force kids use computers for activities that go hand in hand with our understanding of what constitutes a traditional childhood

they use technology to play learn to communicate and form relationships as children’s always have development is enhanced in an interactive world.

so the Internet’s become a daily part of many children’s lives it is little wonder therefore that I have such a face in effect on their social development

so for most kids the experience of being online is a good one however children are also confronting the challenges of being online can bring research has shown that too much hypertext and multimedia content has been linked in some kids to a limited attention span lower comprehension core focus a greater risk for depression and diminished long-term memory

we talked before about how one-fifth of young children have report of seeing something or experiencing something online that’s both of them statistics show that around 44% of tweens have admitted watching something online but their parents wouldn’t approve all only 28% of those parents were aware of this around 70% of children aged 7 to 18 have accidentally encountered online pornography or whom through a web search they were doing for homework

Around 20% of teenaged Internet users have been the target of unwanted sexual solicitation and up to 17 per cent or of 12 or 13 year-olds have reported that they have been cyberbullying.

a study by the EU kids online network in 2009 classified the online risk took his face into three categories content risks contact risks and conduct risks content risks is the harm kids might face by being exposed to certain content so for example sites that promote anorexia pro-ana sites pro-suicide sites and of course, pornography contact risk is generally an adult initiators interaction which requires the child participates possibly unwittingly or unwillingly

so, for example, this music rumours or pina files are trying to contact children illegally and lastly conduct risks is where kids engage in harmful behaviour online either as the perpetrator or as the victim so the example would be cyberbullying and other aggressive behaviours of display lien trolling or revenge behaviours

So let’s find a balance

it’s important to acknowledge risks and challenges but we shouldn’t lose sight of the enormous positives of the online world and the great benefits it provides helping kids to say state and become good digital citizens is key to making sure that they get the best out of the online world that they can

as a society, we have no choice but to engage with this new reality and work to ensure that it affects our kids in healthy responsible ways

so let’s end this with a discussion question what impacts will the increased usage of the Internet at such a young age have on creativity is it changing the hardwiring of children’s brains.