Today’s world is overloaded with technology. Almost every household has more than one computer, smartphone, laptop, etc. All these gadgets are supposed to make our lives more convenient and easier.
Although they are created to service us faithfully, these same digital devices can influence our lives negatively. There have been studies that suggest that our mental, social, and physical health suffers from the excessive use of technology.
Despite all the studies, technology will stay and it’s only beneficial for us to learn how to tackle these drawbacks.
In this article, we will discover how technology has changed our lives and how we can overcome its drawbacks and impacts on everyone around us, especially our kids.
What Are the Drawbacks of Technology?
Let’s look at the major drawbacks of technology.
But first, we hope you are connected to reliable internet, such as Rise Broadband internet so that you don’t have to worry about your internet crashing halfway while reading this informative article.
Social Skills
The excessive use of anything has its own set of drawbacks. When it comes to the excessive use of technology, can lead you to have poor social skills.
Today, meetings are all done over Zoom and children keep in touch with their family through social networking platforms, rather than ringing them every once in a while.
On the surface, technology seems to be creating a global network, which brings people all over the world together. However, on the contrary, technology has effectively replaced the need for face-to-face communications, which in return, results in social isolation.
Social bonds are now being replaced with so-called real “friends” on social networking sites. This may be the biggest cause of depression and loneliness in today’s world. We’re all used to living in our brown little bubble, where gadgets are our best friends.
When real-life interaction is replaced with online communications, it’s not a surprise to lose the ability to under social cues such as facial expression, voice, and body language. On top of all that, violent content can also kill one’s ability to empathize with the other person.
Education
There is no doubt that the internet is a great tool for learning. You can easily Google anything you are searching for, without having to search physically, or even ask others, as the internet generally has all the answers you need.
Moreover, you can easily choose to have your education done from home, with the help of the internet. Yet, this nowhere guarantees that you will be achieving a quality education. Children tend to overuse technology, even while in the classroom and this affects their learning experiences.
Cheating and plagiarism have increased drastically, while analytical and critical thinking skills have declined. This puts the younger generations’ thinking abilities in jeopardy. The more children’s entertainment technologies such as social media or online gaming, the more chances they have to perform low in academics.
Instead of doing homework or reading books, kids today prefer to indulge more in entertainment. The same goes for the internet – while using search engines to find information leads to higher grades, socializing or gaming results in lower grades.
Although this is not the case for every kid, children indeed have a short interest span, so when they use the internet heavily, they’re bound to get distracted.
Privacy and Security
When technology is misused, it can expose you to several risks. Children are especially vulnerable. That is why it’s no wonder why so many kids today get cyber bullied.
Offenders use social media, text messaging, and other social networking platforms to reach vulnerable kids, and then begin blackmailing them. Sexting is one of the biggest dangers online, as it might seem exciting for them, but strangers online have other plans.
In the last couple of years, cyber crime has been on the rise. It’s no longer a task to find anyone’s personal information online. Hackers are experts at this. The borders of an individual’s privacy have blurred significantly through the use of tracking cookies and social media.
With just a few clicks, you can find anyone’s social media page, such as their Facebook or Instagram. Of course, this depends on the fact if the page is open to the public or it’s a private page. Either way, children should be taught to never share their personal information online.
If information is obtained, children and adults both can be blackmailed to give money, or even be targeted for scams out there.
How to Overcome These Drawbacks?
In all honesty, it’s all that impossible to remove the use of technology entirely. As a parent, here are some ideas you can consider:
- Monitor and limit the use of technology. The best way to do this is by using parental tools. If you are a user of Rise Broadband, call them today and inquire more about the tools and features they offer for this.
- Teach conscious behavior and responsibility. This teaching will go a long way in forming your kid’s personality. Explain to your kids the consequences of wrongdoings and how they’ll harm them.
- Stay up-to-date with the tech trend. Take an active interest in what’s the current digital trend and discuss them with your kids.
- Find an alternative to keep your kids engaged. Technology is not the only way to have your kids stay active and engaged. Plan family outings and outdoor activities. This will also help you form a strong bond with them.
On a Final Note
Well, there you go!
Technology is here to stay, and it’s our responsibility to stay updated on the innovations, and how they will impact our kids’ lives. Start by being their friend first, and then slowly educate them.
Children are vulnerable and unaware of the dangers lurking in the online world. Thus, we must help explain and overcome these drawbacks. We hope you’re now more confident about how you can use technology more safely.
