Over 97% of children under the age of 18 has some form of technology in their house. Some of these children being as young as 3 years old. Growing up surrounded by technology has to have some form of impact on these children, right? I surveyed and asked multiple people of different age groups their view on how technology has impacted their social development, and I got a variety of answers.

What do I mean?

Technology use can have a variety of different consequences and impacts depending on how you look at it. One could make the argument that technology is beneficial due to an increase in worldwide communication. On the other hand, another person could argue that, yes, more people are connecting globally, but less people are connecting physically, or in person.

Personally, I believe that our phones make us less connected to the world and the people around us. As a teenager with access to a phone and other technology, I can say that the use of this stuff has made me into a less sociable person. While I do believe that technology has done a wonderful thing by introducing us to people that have such different lives than us, I also believe that we should have focused more on connecting with the world that we can see before focusing on people across the globe.

Negative Impacts

Most arguments for negative impacts will come from people within older age groups. They grew up less connected to phones, meaning they can clearly see the impact that the growing technology has on newer generations. Most arguments are incredibly great points that often get overlooked by the younger community.

National University’s article on, “The Negative Effects of Technology on Children,” the author explains a lot about any and all negative impacts of technology, but only a few are important for this blog. The authors writes, “In general, technology use can cause social and behavioral problems in children because it minimizes the amount of time kids spend interacting with others.” I can relate to this time and time again because this reflects my own personal experiences. The author also says, “Electronics, like smartphones and tablets, make it harder for people to concentrate and easier for people to be distracted by constant sounds and notifications.” While this might not seem like it relates to the topic, it does. This is because a shorter attention span means less time connecting to your peers. It means having meaningless conversations with people. It means that instead of tuning into what’s around, people’s eyes are glued to their screens. I guarantee most teachers and parents will agree with that statement.

I feel like a decrease in social skills, and increase in the use of technology, and the 2020 pandemic all have a link together. During lockdown, all we had to connect to the outside world was our phones and computers. The most human interaction we had for over 6 months was through screens. Think about how damaging this was for so many kids. For me, the pandemic happened at a period in my life where my social development was supposed to flourish. Instead, I was forced to hide in my house behind my screen. My experience with this was that it made me into less of a talker. Instead I am more reserved than what I used to be. Some may argue that the change was because of time, because I grew older, and while these people may have a point, if I was not addicted to my phone I would be a lot more sociable. I would be a lot less anxious. My phone is my excuse to not talk to people, if you take that away, I’ll talk. Simple as that.

Some of the Surveys

• However, technology has also created an addiction where I feel like sometimes we don’t communicate with people because are so focused on our phones.

• I feel like it made me a little emo yk bc like when I got canceled on tiktok (I guess that could have an impact on mental health?)

• It makes me feel disconnected from my friends. (One of the biggest points. We are so focused on connecting with people from across the world that we forget to connect with our peers around us.)

Most articles you read will have the same exact answers as the ones in my survey (except 2?). This is because a lot of children go through the same things.

Positive Impacts

While there may have been some negative views about technology, there still is a lot of positive views. A lot of people will argue that technology actually has a positive view on social development.

Technology can help children stay connected to their peers with Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc. You can learn new languages with apps, connect with people from another country. You can even explore and learn about different cultures. And in some cases, you can learn about problems in the world and what is happening.

In PennState’s blog, “Children: Technology and Socialization,” the author talks about all the different positive social impacts of technology. Some of the author’s benefits include, “Meet and make friends with peers who live all around the world. Be exposed to and learn about different cultures, races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and religions. Discover how human’s interact with others on a larger scale. Connect with peers in a comfortable setting. This may be helpful for individuals who struggle with or may be nervous about face-to-face interactions. Stay connected with peers and family members they may not often see in person.” All of these are completely true. It is possible for both sides of the argument to be completely true because that is just how technology works. It is damaging yet so beneficial at the same time.

In a lot of the surveys I did, it was only the teenagers who had something positive to say. Now, a boomer who hates technology and children could say that it’s because we’re too addicted to our phones, but I believe that it could be two different things. One, teenagers understand more about technology than any of the older generations. They understand what to look for, what they are looking at, and they are willing to learn more. Two, our brains are not fully developed enough to understand the impact of technology. And whoever is reading this may have a completely different idea.

Some of the Surveys

• I feel like it enhanced it. (Yes, I did have to ask this student to clarify. She said that it enhanced it because she had to communicate in different languages with people from all around the world.)

• It has allowed me to communicate with my grandparent who live in China. I has also helped me text my friends and family when I’m either at home or at school.

• It’s very useful to help me communicate with family members that are far away from me. It also allows me to be kept updated with everything that happens.

• Most of my family live overseas, and I cannot communicate with them or see their face if it wasn’t for technological advancement in communication.

• Instead of being faced with directly talking to people, which is scary for me, I’m able text or call which makes it much easier to communicate with other people. (I can’t help but wonder if technology actually makes it worse or better in the long run? Because if you’re always talking over the phone and never face-to-face, will the anxiety problem ever get better?)

Every single point made is incredibly true and only proves that technology can have positive impacts depending on how you look at it.

Overall

When I started this topic, I was only going to focus on the negative impacts of technology. As the days developed, I started thinking that technology does in-fact have positive impacts. I felt like I had to also include the positive benefits because I wanted this blog to be purely informative and help educate others. The truth is, technology is an ongoing argument that will never end because the benefits and consequences cancel each other out. It’s very difficult to argue with that fact that technology lets us explore new people and new cultures, just like it’s difficult to argue the fact that technology disconnects us with the breathing world.