When used and administered incorrectly, new technologies are a barrier for children to learn how to manage their emotions and pose a risk to their evolutionary development when they become their only way to have fun, tell them, or learn.
Immersed in new information and communication technologies (TICs), it seems that if we do not use any technological resources we will disconnect from our environment, an unpleasant feeling that, in many cases, acts as a motivating factor to keep up. In terms of technology.
- We can point out that.
- While new technologies have many advantages.
- In the hands of children – and some parents – their uncontrolled use is a serious problem.
- With undesirable consequences such as poor emotional management.
For example, let’s think about this kid who is angry at the market because he couldn’t add the grain that caught his eye in the basket. Imagine your parents taking your phone out of your pocket and putting a video to distract the child.
Children need to learn to manage their emotions. What if we close them? With screens when they cry or get angry to avoid discomfort, they will not learn to handle them because of their low exposure to them.
More and more studies are emerging that talk about a very fine line separating the use of abuse from new technologies.
Can your indiscriminate use cause attention deficit, memory problems, decreased academic performance, sleep disorders, language issues?
As Jaime García Aguado, pediatrician and member of the Child and Adolescent Prevention Group (Previnfad) of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics in Primary Care (AEPap):?Adult interaction with the child is crucial during use, as there is still evidence of the risks of excessive use of digital media, such as increased physical inactivity and body mass index (BMI), reduced hours of sleep and impaired cognitive, social and emotional development, among others?
In addition, misuse of new technologies can lead to video game addiction. The World Health Organization (WHO) includes in its International Classification of Diseases (CIE-11) video game addiction as a disease characterized by continuous and recurrent gambling behavior as a result of misuse of digital games or video games with or without an Internet connection.
AEPap has developed a decalogue so that parents can maintain good digital health:
Most video games and apps designed for children are so fun and engaging that they take full control of the child’s attention, in addition, the low demand for new technologies in relation to attention and concentration produces little stimulation, remember that without proper stimulation and dedication, the child can be delayed in development in areas important for development.
It should also be noted that new technologies do not stimulate children’s ability to tolerate frustration. As with cognitive skills, the immediate reward of games and apps offers a lower level of stimulation.
At certain times and places, parents offer screens when children are angry or crying, and allow their use to avoid discomfort or not to listen to their complaints and cries. Giving a child an electronic device to stop experiencing negative emotions can end the problem in the short term. term, but it doesn’t teach much about the autonomy of emotional management.
Tolerance to emotions develops through experimentation, feeling them and learning to manage them.