Technology as a babysitter?

In the last decades, technology has been almost our best friend. We carry it on our cell phones, computers, television, even watches. It can be a tool for work, study and entertainment. Technology is in our day to day, but what happens when people abuse it? What happens when people delegate other responsibilities to technology?

There’s a usual situation nowadays, which is to use technology as a babysitter for children. In the present essay we will review this situation and why it’s not a good choice for children.

Imagine you have to do a lot of things (domestic stuffs, work, study, or whatever), but you also have a child in charge. The easiest and fastest option is to give them a screen to entertain themselves. But do we know what are they training actually?

According to research, the use of technologies in children causes delayed development in children, as well as attention deficit and decreased memory. It also causes sleep disorders and childhood addiction to electronic devices. It also has social effects: it’s more difficult for children to interact with other children, as it’s also difficult to maintain physical contact whit them. On the other hand, in physical terms, the WHO says that exposing children to technological devices causes risks due to the emission of radiation, which can contract health problems such as cancer.

We are not saying that children shouldn’t use technologies. The point is that people don’t have to delegate babysitting to technologies. It is important that children do not replace other non-virtual forms of recreation, such as reading a book, drawing, and playing with their parents and other children.