GENERATION TEXT AND THEIR BURNED OUT PARENTS
Created: Feb 17, 2017
I've noticed lately a disturbing trend that appears to have completely obtained acceptance in many circles. We've all seen it, some of us probably even do it ourselves. What am I referring to you ask? Well I'm talking about young children that are so conditioned to being perpetually entertained that if you asked them to sit still for 5 minutes without a smart phone or a tablet, would go into a tantrum. I am also referring to their burnt out parents that are so quick to handover the devices to avoid a meltdown. I suppose its not much different than when people my age would be sat in front of the television for hours at a time but nowadays with handheld devices, the technology is always at our fingertips. Ok its not just the kids, many of us are addicted to these devices, we feel naked without them but that's not the focus of this thought.
So one of my concerns is that by using these devices as pacifiers for children we are creating little monsters socially and emotionally. Go ahead, try taking away that device from the 3 year old and see what happens. You won't do it because you fear the meltdown and I don't blame you.
We also must consider the potential physical damage being inflicted on these young developing children. Let's face it, we have no idea of the long term effects of these devices on young children. Half the time they're holding the screen a few inches from their faces! What kind of an effect do you think this will have on their eyes over time? You think a few of them may need glasses by the time they are in high school? What about there young developing spines? What kind of an effect will hours of sitting with their necks flexed staring at a screen?
Now I'm not a psychiatrist or an eye doctor and I haven't done any research on this subject, I'm simply writing about a subject that like many of us have witnessed more and more frequently and fear has now become the norm. In my humble opinion, I would recommend that parents be very careful handing over their smart phones or tablets to their children in an effort to pacify them, they may be opening up a can of worms in the future.
Please feel free to share your thoughts or questions regarding this thought or any others you may have.