Dinasty Kelly Argumentative Essay: Children and technology

Dinasty Kelly

Professor Ewa Barnes

CRT 100

13 April 2022

Should Children be Given Access to Technology?

Is allowing a child to have a cellphone at a young age a good or bad thing? This is a question that parents have debated on for over a decade. Most kids have their first cellphone way before high school, some maybe at the age of 3, while other children do not receive a phone up until high school. Cellphone use among both young and older children has effects.  Some parents believe that cellphones are very beneficial for keeping in contact, learning methods, or just keeping the child busy. Others believe it is bad due to a lack of imagination, dependency on technology and the risk of being cyberbullied. Then there are those parents who believe that it is neither good or bad but it depends on the age of the child and the parenting style of the parent. Every parent raises their child differently so parenting has a big effect on this debate. 

There needs to be more  awareness of the effects of cellphone usage among children under the age of 12. Many parents believe cellphones at a young age can be beneficial, while others believe it can be a very bad thing. Cellphones are slowing down a child’s development and social interaction. They are even affecting adults and distracting them from meaningful things in life. Instead of being glued to a phone all day, children need to be socially interacting and enjoying their childhood by playing outside or using their imagination. Devices have taken over and brainwashed our society as a whole.  To help prevent this from continuing, parents should not give their children devices at a young age, instead they should encourage them to interact and learn from others. A story that relates to society and children being brainwashed is the store “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. In this short story, there is a tradition that the town villagers have to stone someone “just because”. There little to no history as to why they do what they do but they continue the tradition because that is all they are conditioned to. Soon, the generation of children who grow up without any socializing skills due to the use of technology so early in their lives will be conditioned to this type of lifestyle and will not see anything wrong with it. Cellphones allow children to isolate themselves for long periods of time which is dangerous.

Cellphones were invented in the 1940s by Martin Cooper. Cellphones became popular and grasped the attention of many by the late 1980s, early 90s. Virtually every kid wants a smartphone. But smartphones are powerful devices that offer access to every corner of the internet, the ability to upload video and photos of yourself, and an easy way to communicate with anyone. “They have great potential to enrich lives, but they can also cause serious problems, even for adults, never mind for children with less impulse control” (digital trends). This shows how cellphones can have the possibility of improving the life of children or damaging them and their growth.

 On one side of the argument, there are people in support of cellphone usage at a young age being bad.  Based on a Niche survey, in support of those who think giving a child a cellphone at a young age is bad, people believe that cellphones at a young age is the prevalence of bullying.  As a pediatric occupational therapist, Cris Rowan said, “I’m calling on parents, teachers and governments to ban the use of all handheld devices for children under the age of 12 years” (Rowan).  Cyberbullying is a big issue among children and giving a child a phone puts them at risk of either being bullied or bullying someone else. Cellphones may also create a dependence on technology among children.  As time goes by, technology continues to expand and new inventions arise. Almost everyone owns some sort of technology, wether it be a cellphone, television, or computer. Introducing a child to technology at a young age can take away important factors of their childhood such as imagination, going out to play, and learning how to do activities and sports because they will become so dependent and attached to a phone. Instead of children saying: let’s go out and play, the child may say “hey download this game and play with me” which does not provide the same amount of healthy social interaction needed to develop healthy relationships. Cellphones can also affect a child’s physical growth.  During the child’s first years, his brain develops rapidly, and very young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), do not recommend screen time for kids younger than two (Hill).  A 2014 study by UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center suggests that when screen time limits face-to-face interaction, kids’ social skills may be negatively affected, and this may blind them from understanding the emotions of other people.

Although cellphones for children may have many bad effects there are also many good effects. People from a Niche survey believe that cellphones can help a child in the time of a crisis and to keep in contact with a parent. Cellphone usage at a young age are said to be good because it helps kids keep in touch and can encourage independence. In an article “Raising smart kids”, one group believes that there are many good effects to cellphone usage for children. One good effect is that kids develop an aptitude for technology; this is beneficial since the future revolves around technology. Another is that cellphones can be used in a quality way, screens can actually be used to promote babies’ cognitive and social development. Megan, a mother who responded to a Huffington Post ran this article titled 10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12 said that she will continue to give her children cellphones because she believes that banning things from children never work. There are children out there who are motivated by technology. They are future coders, Future designers, Future engineers. Technology helps introduce children to new things.

Between the supporters of cellphone usage among children and those against it, there are others who are in unsure of their opinion on wether or not it may be a good or bad thing.  Some people believe that cellphone usage among children depends on the age of the child and the parenting style of the parent. Many parents wrestle with the issue of cell phones for kids. What’s the right age for kids to get cell phones, and what functions are age appropriate? (Common sense media). Some carriers, like Sprint with its “WeGo” device, are selling cell phones to kids as young as five: “It’s not uncommon to see, really, two and three- year old’s becoming quite fluent with using a touch tablet or a touch device, said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist and senior director of research at the Consumer Electronics Association. 

Many people wonder what age is too young? This question would then open up another debate on what age is appropriate to give a child a phone. One study by the American Academy of Pediatrics that focused on children in an urban, low-income, minority community suggested that almost all children (96.6 percent) use mobile devices and that 75 percent have their own mobile device by the age of four. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics state infants aged 0-2 years should not have any exposure to technology, 3-5 years be restricted to one hour per day, and 6-18 years restricted to 2 hours per day (AAP 2001/13, CPS 2010).  As parenting styles vary, children are exposed to technology at different stages. Cellphones will always be around, but whether a child should get one or not is solely based on the parenting style of the parent. As Dr. Pamela from Media psychology research center said, “It has to do with the maturity of the child, it has to do with how the cell phone is being used, and it has to do with the parent’s ability to understand how the child is using the phone” (Hill).

When it comes to the debate of whether or not children should be able to have cellphones, there is no real common ground. Each side of the argument is constrained by the effects a cellphone has on a child. Some believe cell usage is a total bad thing and will affect a child in the long run and others believe it is useful in ways to keep in contact with parents and friends. The in- between-ers believe it is both good and bad depending on the age of the child. Although all beliefs acceptable, It is up to the parent of the child to choose how they want to raise their children.

Reference Page

“Smartphone and Tablet Screen Time: Good or Bad for Kids?” Raise Smart Kid, 26 June 2016,      www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/smartphone-and-tablet-screen-time-good-or-bad-for-kids. Accessed 3 April. 2022.

Boerma, Lindsey. “Kids with Cell Phones: How Young Is Too Young?” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 2 Sept. 2014, www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-with-cell-phones-how-young-is-too-young/. Accessed 3 April. 2022 

“Pros and Cons of Cell Phones for Kids.” Niche, articles.niche.com/pros-and-cons-of-cell-  phones-for-kids/. Accessed 3 April. 2022.

“Cell Phone Parenting.” Reviews & Age Ratings – Best Movies, Books, Apps, Games for Kids, www.commonsensemedia.org/cell-phone-parenting. Accessed 3 April. 2022.

 Hill, Simon. “How Young Is Too Young for a Smartphone? We Asked the Experts.” Digital Trends, 27 Aug. 2016, www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/right-age-for-smartphone-child/. Accessed 3 April 2022.

“10 Reasons Why I Will Continue to Give My Children Handheld Devices.” Hipmombrarian’s Blog, 15 Nov. 2014, hipmombrarian.com/2014/03/11/10-reasons-why-i-will-continue-to-give-my-children-handheld-devices/. Accessed 3 April. 2022.

Rowan, Cris. “10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 6 Mar. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/10-reasons-why-handheld-devices-should-be-banned_b_4899218.html. Accessed 3 April  2022.

“PBS.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-when-should-you-get-kid-cell-phone.html. Accessed 3 April. 2022