Internet Version Of Childhood-Pros and Cons!!

I keep on seeing my child playing happily with the new aged devices. The kind of happiness it creates and the amount of satisfaction it gives on seeing a lovely smile makes my day. But these new modes of entertainment like gizmos, mobiles, i-pads, computer etc. – are they really worth it? Do they really pinch-hit for the games and sports that we were hooked into in our childhood?

I agree that there are some advantages with these new inventions but cons cannot be ignored too. Let us take a look at these:

Pros of these new inventions:

Active learning: These new models/electronic devices are definitely full of knowledge and wisdom. It involves active learning as it is well presented. The things are well articulated and presented. It’s ideal for the kids to learn new things without much efforts been put up by the elders at home. Many times a kid grasps new words from the use of these tools that form an essential part of daily routine. The child can learn new languages or may be learn rhymes, stories.

Development of Visual skills: There are certain educational games or drawing/coloring apps that help child to develop a better hand-eye coordination. There are certain games like Temple run, Subway surfers that makes a kid to run in a right direction on a rapid note, if not they end up losing the game. The right and left navigation keys help them to understand the direction sense.

Excellent form of communication: It is particularly helpful when the kids stay far away from their maternal or paternal grandparents or other close relatives. There are options of video calling that help them to recognize their near and dear ones, even if they meet face to face after a long gap. It kind of builds an emotional bridge that helps to keep the strings between relations strong. One doesn’t lose complete sight of any relative/friend. But as we know that every action has its flip, same is the case with these new inventories that rarely existed in our childhood days.

Cons of these new inventions:

Vision impairment: Constantly watching these comps, might put the vision of our child at risk. There are millions of cases wherein these kids get specs covering their eyes at a much tender age. Losing the right frequency of eye at such a young age doesn’t sound good.

Lack of Physical activities: These are exactly like Haldiram’s products. The moment you taste once, you feel like eating more. Similarly, the moment you sit to watch these, you get glued and you feel like watching them continuously. Mobile, comps are good but within a certain time limit. Older versions of games like “Pithu”, “Kho Kho”, “hide and seek”, “Pakdan Pakdai” are all losing their grace with the passage of time. Today, I hardly see kids playing these fun filled games. These games are means of physical exercises and source of entertainment as well. Physical plays are important as they help in the development of strong muscles.

Lack of social interaction: Since kids are getting too preoccupied with these electronic devices, they are often seen not interacting with other kids. Forget other kids, they hardly interact with their own family members. Social interaction is a crucial part of personality development and it shouldn’t be ignored at any cost. A child learns manners, etiquettes, discipline while having these social interactions.

Laziness and lack of creativity: Though the internet is a provider of answer to every question, still knowing everything doesn’t make you smarter. The reliability and easy accessibility to these electronic devices actually makes a child lazy. The creativity that could be blossomed at a younger age gets suppressed because the child doesn’t feel the need to think about it as he/she is very well aware that the information is readily available on net. So, there is loss or lack of creativity as well.

Lack of Reading Habit: Too much stimulation leads to aggressive behavior or irritability in a child. It may give hard time to a toddler to concentrate or develop a taste for reading. I am not dead against the use of these electronic devices but I feel there should be some time limit that needs to be set for their usage. This shall probably help them keep a striking balance between their daily life and their personal interactions as well as development.