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A marker of 21st century adult life may be the eternal debate about whether to “disconnect” once in a while, but for children the question is a far more serious one.
Born into the digital age and exposed to technology and the internet very early, this generation of kids are effectively guinea pigs in the lab of life.
How – and when – will we know how much is too much for developing minds?
“The proliferation of cell phones, social media and apps among kids has changed the way they interact each other and content online,” says ThirdParent co-founder Rob Zidar.
Thirdparent specializes in internet safety for kids, and Zidar adamantly believes early over exposure can be detrimental.
“Kids are exposed to content created by or intended for older audiences,” Zidar continues.
“Kids are also interacting with social media at an earlier age. Tweens are being introduced to sites like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and can feel pressure to become active on those sites.
They witness things like cyberbullying or posting inappropriate selfies at an earlier age than parents might think, and in some cases they feel a pressure to ‘fit in’ and emulate those actions.”
“Irregular immaturity”
What this is creating is ‘irregular maturity’ in children.
With the availability of pretty much everything at the light touch of a finger on a portable device, parents are missing opportunities to help their children understand the world they are accessing.
There tends to be a technology disconnect.
Parents, who didn’t grow up with the tech they are using and handing to their children, trust their kids with technology that has a very thin line.
When that line is crossed, it can create patterns of obsessive behavior that can lure even the most well-educated child into a harmful relationship. Continue reading
Source
- Curtis Silver, The Next Web
According to Geekdad, Curtis Silver writes all over the internet.
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