Cell phones can be colorful and engaging, but what does hours of social media and scrolling do to a child’s mind that is still developing? It changes lives.
“From a purely early childhood perspective, technology has the potential to replace real-life interactions and authentic experiences,” Nixa Early Childhood Center teacher Amanda Lee said. “In fact, when excessive amounts of screen time for infants and toddlers replace face-to-face interactions with family members, many areas of development are negatively impacted; including social [and] emotional development and healthy relationships as well as the ability to self-regulate, language development and critical thinking skills.”
Lee said it is important that children get quality early childhood education.
“The first five years of a child’s life are critical in building the foundation for all future learning,” Lee said. “Brain connections happen more rapidly in these first five years than in any other time in a child’s life, and these connections happen based on the experiences they have. This is why high-quality early childhood education, with caregivers who understand child growth and development, is so very important.”
Dr. Denise Cunningham is the Department head of Childhood Education and Family Studies at Missouri State University
“Child development is the sequence [of] cognitive, physical and social-emotional changes from birth through the beginning of adulthood,” Cunningham said. “Over time, children will progress through typical developmental stages.”
Early childhood teacher at Nixa Early Childhood Center, Jennifer Newberry, said that every child is different when it comes to helping them learn and grow.
“Development isn’t the same for every child,” Newberry said. “Just like when you bake a cake, [it] depends on the oven, the humidity [and] the ingredients. A cake will need varying times to be fully baked. Children develop in much the same way.”
Lee was inspired by educators and experiences in the Nixa community to pursue the job.
“I chose early childhood because it became evident right away that these are the years in which you can make the most impact in a child’s life,” Lee said.
After working with young children for the past 19 years, Lee has watched the effects of technology on kids’ growth and development.
“I have seen quite the change in the way technology impacts children from the time I started teaching,” Lee said.
Cunningham said that large amounts of exposure to technology can hinder a child’s ability to grow and develop to the best of their abilities.
“The use of too much technology, especially with children’s toys, may also impact their ability to develop their imagination, which can negatively impact their ability to problem-solve and be creative,” Cunningham said. “There’s a lot of good that can happen when you give a child a large cardboard box to play with rather than a screen.”
In recent decades, there has been a drastic change in child development, stemming from the abundant use of technology and specifically the amount of children using phones and other electronics.
“Technology has definitely changed child development,” Cunningham said. “My granddaughter at the age of 9 months knew that a cell phone could be manipulated to show pictures or videos.”
Even though limiting screen time can result in many benefits, there are times when the execution of it isn’t achievable. Lee said there are a couple of ways to take small steps in the direction of less technology.
“If screen time is part of your family plan, watch ‘slow [television]’ such as Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Bob Ross, even Blippi,” Lee said. “In my family, we developed a technology use contract, by which the whole family abides. We completed research together about different types of screen time and how they impact our brains, moods and thoughts. We came up with a plan that our whole family can accept while remembering that it is a ‘living document.’ I think the key is giving technology purposeful thought for what works and what goals we have for our time together.”