iKid

 How wired are kids?

 by Julie Samrick

In Ancient Greece, Socrates lamented the development of writing, believing that thoughts written out would erase the knowledge carried inside the human mind. In his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” Nicholas Carr points out that the adoption of new technology has always been accompanied by a certain amount of worry.

Perhaps for today’s world, “beware the barrenness of a busy life,” also attributed to Socrates, is more apt.  As we increasingly speed up, what is lost?  For our children who have never known life without computers, games and cell phones—how will their brains change?

What’s different today, according to experts, is that at no other time have so many technological mediums (television, computers, video games, texting) been combined.  It’s not the devices that are the problem—it’s the constancy and multitasking of them, that our brains aren’t evolved enough to process.

Kristin France M.A. in Special Education and co-founder of Learning Wisely, which uses the latest research in neuroscience to help kids who are struggling, says that in her 15 years in the education and neuroscience fields, she has recently seen a boom of kids who are deficient in executive functioning skills.

Their over-wired, overly busy brains struggle to focus and think critically.  Emotionally, there is also a void.  Being too full actually makes a child’s brain emptier.

“The availability of so many forms of technology divides kids’ attention.  Multitasking impedes the frontal lobe of the brain which controls things like good judgment, organization, attention and detail.  Kids cannot process information in a contemplative way,” she says.

In middle-school kids, she is seeing more children have trouble, “because they now have to juggle multiple classes and deal with beefier assignments.  Parents need to help kids plan and prioritize by setting limits on technology, especially during this time,” she says.

The sooner parents implement rules and get involved, the easier it will be for children to adapt to changes.

France suggests that parents have a technology cut-off time at night.  “An hour before bedtime, TV and computers should be turned off because electronics engage the brain and make it harder for them to fall asleep.” She adds, “try doing something quiet and relaxing, like reading.”

Natalie Feuerstein, a Folsom mom of four young children only allows her kids one hour a day of technology time. She knows there are benefits and wants her kids adapting well in a digital world, but thinks kids should not rely completely on technology. "I want them to maintain contact with other human beings and not be drowned out the real-world in favor of a make-believe, fantasy world,” she says.

Leisa M, a mom of four kids under age 9, allows very little technology, except for an occasional movie because she believes her children are better off.  “They do not have any video games, DS, iPods or such…instead they have a cupboard with art supplies and spend their time outside exploring or doing crafts.”  She admits it can be challenging with their peers, but feels, “that it is better for their brains.”

Ironically, for really tuned-in, empathetic and engaged children—it seems Socrates had it right—children need to unplug.  They can only absorb information, process thoughts and emotions and think critically when their brains are less busy.

-Julie Samrick is the mother of 4 young children and the founder of Kid Focused, a site devoted to current children’s issues.