Mecca Castillo

According to authors from National University, technology has been negatively impacting children’s social development and leading to poor behavior at home and in schools. Poor or bad behavior is defined as bullying, aggression, lack of empathy and responsibility, and rudeness. NU isn’t the only source that has noticed this, author Doug Fodeman from Brookwood School notes this correlation in a series of blogs. 

“The development of communication and socialization skills in children and teens is another critically important consideration in the conversation around age-appropriate use of technology. These skills are often overlooked by parents who may not see or understand how much technology tools can interfere in their child’s development.” 

Psychotherapist, Dr. Nanette Funderburk states she has heard of problem behaviors not just with young children but older children, especially teenagers, rising during the pandemic when learning became virtual. Multiple of these sources show a correlation between high consumption of technology to poor social development. 

This is because one-on-one interactions with peers teach children a variety of skills and connections we carry on in our adult life. Through mirroring others, we learn empathy, interests, social cues, community, and appropriate behavior, says blogger for University of California San Diego, Jenny Namkoong. When you replace a majority of the interactions between peers with technology, that child is missing out on building those key connections. The Center for Global Development states that overall research shows an increase in technology leads to a decrease in empathy and communication. 

There are several concerns many researchers have about this change in development. One concern is the increase in loneliness as children age. “Today’s youth have a diminished capacity for real-time conversations and understanding body language, facial expressions, and the mindsets of others. Because they do not know how to form real relationships, their isolation increases,” says writer Rachel Bonnette from Loyola University Chicago. 

According to Forbes, today’s young people aged 16-24 are the loneliest generation due to their attachment to technology. This trend will increase as younger people are being exposed to technology at even earlier ages, “Similarly to how Baby Boomers need to learn digital skills, we will soon have to teach Gen-Z and Gen Alpha basic social skills.”

Another aspect of decreased sociability is the effect it has in the classroom. Communication isn’t only important in building relationships but it is also vital in understanding new knowledge. Technology has shown to have negative effects on attention span and concentration. (References from attention article). 

But it doesn’t just stop there. These problem behaviors extend into the home. Parents, teachers, and researchers alike have warned about excessive technology use. A study by Jenny S. Radesky, MD and colleagues report overstimulation in children who use technology at young ages but also overstimulated parents who use technology to help them get through low stimulating situations with their children. Due to the high reinforcement children get from technology, once taken away children often show higher levels of problem behavior leading parents to give in. 

With all this being said about technology rotting children’s brains, that isn’t actually the case. The issue here is the overuse or misuse of technology on young brains. Technology has pushed education to the future and made it more accessible if anything. However, it should not replace human interaction or make up a majority of early childhood learning due to the overwhelming evidence leaning towards the negatives. The Department of Education has set out guiding principles of technology for early learners and how to use it to all of its benefits.