Is Your Kid Addicted To Technology?

I’m very reluctant to say that young children are “addicted” to technology. I think it’s a very loaded term (and would require a formal diagnosis to be completely accurate).

There’s no denying that some children form very strong attachments to technology. These attachments can sometimes be hard to break (have you ever experienced the techno-tantrum when you ask your toddler to return your smartphone?) 

Some young children want to use technology all the time. If they had their way, they’d be clutching a device from the minute the wake up until it was pried from their hand at bedtime. This certainly isn’t healthy. 

But I’m reluctant to say that they’re necessarily “addicted”.

Instead, I propose that they’ve simply formed poor media habits. For a range of reasons, they’ve been allowed them to form these unhealthy habits.

The good news is, like any “bad” habit, these can be altered.

Perhaps it’s parents who need to take a stricter stance when it comes to monitoring little ones’ media consumption each day.

Sure, a little bit of media time each day (or when you feel it is appropriate) is not necessarily harmful. But like anything in life, too much isn’t a good thing. That’s exactly the case when it comes to young children forming healthy media habits.

Why are children so “attached” to technology? 

Like anything in life that elicits a positive response (it might be eating chocolate, or being praised for doing a good job), our brain releases dopamine (the feel good hormone). That’s exactly what happens when young children use technology. They’re having little squirts of dopamine.

Often they’re rewarded with a digital sticker or moving up a level on a game. Other times they’re given verbal praise, such as “This is correct. Great job!”. Children become contingent upon these extrinsic rewards and praise. It makes them feel good and so they want more (and more and more).

This is also why adults often feel compelled to check emails on our phone, or constantly check their Facebook feed. Our brains are simply seeking a little hit of dopamine.

Source : parents[dot]nickjr[dot]com[dot]au