Bad Effects of Electronics Gadget Essay

Gadgets like portable games can have a negative impact on an individual’s health. Technology is an integral part of our day-to-day lives. People all over the world rely on it for things like communication, organization and employment. Not a day goes by when you don’t encounter someone talking on his cell phone, tapping away on a laptop or listening to an MP3 player. While this technology is impressive, there are certain drawbacks in areas like health, public safety and education that should be addressed. Being aware of these dangers can help diminish or reverse these drawbacks. Car Accidents * There is no question that cell phones have become a staple of modern society. Even young children use them, much to the chagrin of their parents or teachers. A common belief is that cell phones can cause adverse effects like brain cancer. However, a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that this is not true. Regardless, there are other hazards. According to the WHO, mobile phones are a serious problem when driving, increasing reaction time between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds. This short span of time can make a world of difference when avoiding a collision. They further state drivers on a phone have trouble judging speed and staying in their lanes. Even hands-free headsets pose a distraction. The WHO concludes that drivers who talk on their cell phones are four times more likely to get in an accident. Hearing Problems * According to the website Healthy Hearing, one-third of teenagers own an MP3 player, such as an iPod. Dr. Craig Kasper, Director of Audiology at the New York Otolaryngology Group, warns that these devices can cause ear damage if used improperly. If the volume is too high or if the individual listens for a long time, hearing damage can happen. Also, earbuds are more dangerous than regular headphones. Healthy Hearing recommends that listeners keep the volume below 70 percent and limit listening time to between 60 and 90 minutes. If you want to listen indefinitely, turn the volume down to 50 percent Physical Injury and Obesity * Hand-held video game consoles are very popular in the developed world. While they can be entertaining, excessive play can be detrimental. One problem is video game addiction, which can be disruptive to a person’s psychological health. Other reported issues include seizures, neck pain, wrist pain and repetitive strain injury. Prolonged use also contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, resulting in obesity. Academic Impact * Text slang, such as â€Å"ur† instead of â€Å"you’re† is commonly used through cell phone texting. However, a recent study shows that kids and teens are actually letting these obscure abbreviations seep into their normal writing. A recent study by Pew Internet in 2008 revealed that 50 percent of students use informal slang in their assignments. Furthermore, 38 percent admit they have used abbreviations in their schoolwork like â€Å"LOL†, which stands for â€Å"laugh out loud†. Additionally, 25 percent say that they use emoticons such as â€Å"smiley faces† in formal writing. The problem has become so apparent that some U.S. politicians are concerned that the English language and sentence structure is being twisted, negatively affecting students’ learning. The Disadvantages of Gadgets on Students Modern technologies like television and computers provide identifiable educational advantages, such as greater access to information and more compelling presentations of that information. Over-use of technology, though, especially such gadgets as cell phones, iPods and video games, presents a whole range of problems which may interfere with a student’s ability to learn and attend to lessons. 1. Social Networking 2. Students who use their computers or cell phones to participate in social networking sites may post material considered inappropriate by school authorities. They may also develop an unfavorable reputation based on those pictures or comments. Pictures of misbehavior can adversely affect their chances of getting into the university of their choice or of getting a job. Addictions * It is easy to become addicted to gaming, texting, talking on the phone or socializing online. Some students may attempt to do this in class, which disrupts their learning, and at home it detracts from study time. Kids putting in long hours on their gadgets will give less attention to assignments and may be irritable when they are away from their gadgets. They might also sleep less, which can slow down their thinking the next day. Creativity * In the past, children and young people filled up their free time by reading books, socializing, or engaging in active, creative play. A fixation on gadgets reduces participation in of all these, especially the aspect of creativity. Digital worlds can be vast, but they are always structured, not requiring the imagination and inventiveness of unstructured play. Some children become less creative and less able to entertain themselves. Health * Persistent use of high-tech gadgetry can lead to a slew of health problems for young and old alike. A sedentary lifestyle discourages exercise and encourages obesity. The back-lit screens used for computers, iPhones and video games can cause eye problems. Walking around everywhere with music blaring directly into your ears brings on headaches and hearing difficulties. The net effect of all these things, plus the pressure of immediate responses to everything, can become stressful. The Negative Impacts of exposure of electronic devices and gadgets to children These advantages may not be obvious or observed in short period of times. However there are some impacts on the usage of the electronic devices and gadgets games. According to the sources from a survey of Kaiser Family Foundation, children are spending an average of more than 7 hours per day on the electronic device which includes television, electronic games, internet and some mobile devices. These data show that, kids today are easily used up more than 50 hours weekly, which means the time consume is more than working hours of an adult, if we take an average of 8 hour per days for 6 working days. Surveys showed that these young kids know how to play with the smart-phone, make a mobile phone calls and even open internet browsers on their own without any aid. However, on the same survey found that there are lesser kids on the same age range know how to tie a shoelace without help or swim unaided. A concern on children may be fluent in technical driven skillset rather than real-life practical skills. The devices and games tend to keep the children out of touch of reality. It is important to children to spend some time for outdoor activity with family and friends. The times spent on the devices may curb some outdoor activities. When the children play violent games for a long period of time, they are tends to be more aggressive, and they are more prone to confront their elderly and teachers. This may not be a good sign, and may let the children easily involved in fighting and verbally scolding with peers. If children spend too much time on the devices, this may affect their studies and school achievements. The more time the spend they are more crazy after the devices and affects their concentration and focus in their school works. The addiction of games may also make them get used to the sedentary lifestyles, and develop unhealthy lifestyle and poor time management and poor eating habits. Abstract Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. W.H.O. has defined adolescents as individuals aged between in 10-19 years. It is the most fertile and most vulnerable segment. Time management is of paramount importance, especially for the overall growth and development of adolescence. The study was conducted on 400 students in the age group of 10-19 years showed that adolescents spend more of the time in personal cleanliness, playing games and watching television. They did not spend any time meditation or remembering God, moral teachings, caring for old persons, and family, patriotic and national values. There is an imperative need to have a strong need based action programme at the level of – Family/Parents/Teachers in schools & community for guiding the adolescent regarding proper time management. Introduction Management means getting things done with optimal resources. It has been a very important tool in the present world to solve any problem to achieve any success or to have the maximum benefits after putting in minimum inputs. In the modern era time is very precious and its proper management of time is the key to success. Recently it has become even more important and complicated after the introduction of modern scientific techniques, gadgets, especially computers. Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. W.H.O. has defined adolescents as individuals aged between in 10-19 years. Not gold but men can make a Nation great & strong† and adolescent is the largest and most rapidly expanding segment of our country. It is the most fertile and most vulnerable segment. Need less to point out that time management is of paramount importance, especially for the overall growth and development of adolescence in our country. Children Spending Time with Gadgets Gadgets have taken the much cherished time and space which was meant for the parents. Children are hooked on to the gadgets and they have no time for other pursuits. Parents also regularly bring new gadgets for their children in keeping with the peer pressure and giving in to the demands. Should we pamper our children with gadgets? How to curb this menace? Read on. My son loves video games. He always wants the latest games as soon as possible. There is also a lot of peer pressure for him to get these gadgets. I feel I am spoiling him by getting him the gadgets he wants. Should I give in to him when he comes up with something new that he just must have? Today, children are a demanding lot. Every day there are more and more exciting gadgets to acquire. Mobile phones, video games, I pods, computers, music systems, there are newer models available by the day. Sometimes, by the time you get around purchasing something, it is already obsolete. In this scenario, how much should we pamper our children? Why Children Tend to Spend More Time with Gadgets? At the outset, as a working mother, you are probably already erring on the side of indulgence. Working mothers tend to feel guilty about their absence from home and are more likely to give in to their children’s demands. Giving in is also easier, since with a dual income, a home with working parents tends to have greater disposable income. Your son’s wants might not seem difficult initially, but be aware that as he grows, the things he craves will get bigger and more expensive. Should Working Mothers Get Gadgets for Kids? You need to ask yourself if your son really needs the new gadget he craves. Will the amount you spend on it make you uncomfortable? You will know in your gut whether your child should have the latest version of a video game. If you decide against buying the new gadget, you need to talk to him about why he should not have it. Compare the cost of that gadget to a poor man’s income. Put its cost into perspective for him. Ask him to buy it out of his own savings! How to Handle Peer Pressure in Case of Purchasing Gadgets? If it is peer pressure that is making him desire this new item, you need to have a long, hard look at his friends. It is natural that your son will have a need to be liked by his peers and fall in with their behaviour patterns. Ideally, his group should have a positive influence on him and should have values similar to his own. He should choose his friends wisely. It is very tough to stand up to peers. Your son will need your affection and guidance. It has been observed that those children who have either low self-esteem or low confidence are more likely to succumb to peer pressure. Therefore you need to build on his own confidence. It is extremely helpful if he develops personal interests outside of the group. How Does the Usage of Gadgets Affect Children? Sometime, we as parents fail to notice the impact the gadgets have on the development of the child. The child gets hooked on to the gadgets and hardly has time for other things in life. He fails to pursue his interests. Suddenly when these gadgets are taken away from them, they feel restless and irritated. Gadgets bring about behavioural changes in the child. The child prefers to be lonely but with his gadget. So what is the solution? Do we give in to the demands? How to Monitor Child’s Gadget Usage? It is high time now to monitor your child before it is too late. Giving in to demands sometimes is okay but there needs to be a good reason for it. The child should be monitored for the hours spent on gadgets and a time should be fixed for this. Giving in to peer pressure should also be avoided.The best option for you as a parent is to talk to him a lot so as to prevent him from feeling isolated. You could also encourage him make new friends. Let him enjoy the beauty and marvels of nature by taking him out on a picnic or for trekking. All of this takes time and patience. So just take it easy. You can prefer the above ways to make sure that the child is spending less time with gadgets. You can also introduce him to other things. Get him involved and interested in hobby classes so that his attention is diverted and his time is spent fruitfully. With that aspect in mind an attempt was made to carry out a cross section study through the medium of schools, in the adolescents. They were si mply asked questions to describe their daily work schedule in relation to their life style and various routine activities If you’re like many mothers of tweens or teens, you probably often find yourself gazing at the faces of your beloved children — as those faces are bathed in the flickering light of the television or the cool glow of the computer. Observing their glassy-eyed stares, it’s hard not to wonder (and worry), What is this screen time doing to their development? We’ve all heard the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics: just one to two hours a day of â€Å"quality† electronic entertainment for children over 2. Yeah, right. In 2010, a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that most adolescents spend an average of 25 to 30 hours per week watching TV and using computers. And while half of parents surveyed in a 2010 study said they always or often set limits on screen time, 18 percent of their kids really disagreed. â€Å"It’s getting more complicated to measure how much screen time kids are getting,† notes Lisa Guernsey, author of Into the Minds of Babes, a book about children’s use of electronic media. â€Å"We’re no longer talking about the TV in the den that parents can turn off. These days, many teens and tweens have smartphones, laptops, tablets, and iPods that they carry with them.† When you add up the total time kids spend on their electronic devices, you arrive at a truly staggering number: The average American between the ages of 8 and 18 spends more than seven hours a day looking at a screen of some kind, reports a Kaiser Family Foundation study. â€Å"When we conducted a similar survey five years before, we thought children’s screen time couldn’t rise any higher,† says Donald F. Roberts, Ph.D., a Stanford University communications professor who coauthored the study. â€Å"But it just keeps going up and up.† Scientists are now beginning to tease out the effects of all this electronic engagement. Too much screen time may be linked to an increased incidence of risky behaviors, and more social network activity seems to correspond to mood problems among teens. But there’s good news, too. Moderate computer use may be associated with the development of some cognitive and social skills. Here, a closer look at the cons and then the pros of screen time.