DEAR PARENT/GUARDIAN:
In our developing and changing world, technology now occupies a very large place in our lives. Especially with the radical changes brought about by the pandemic, the use of technological devices and social media has increased significantly. We cannot deny that technology, now present in every aspect of our lives, has greatly facilitated our daily lives. Being able to connect to the other side of the world with a single click, accessing any information we want at any time, or completing many online tasks simultaneously are undoubtedly some of the best opportunities technology offers us.
According to the 2021 Digital Usage Report by We Are Social research company, while the global internet usage average is 6 hours and 54 minutes, this figure is 7 hours and 57 minutes in Türkiye, exceeding the world average. The same research also shows that 70.8% of the Turkish population are social media users, and the time spent on social media is 2 hours and 57 minutes per day. Looking at the research, it shows that we spend almost all of our time immersed in technology and social media. In this context, the integration of technology into our lives brings with it some problems along with the wonderful opportunities it offers.
The increasing use of technology is becoming more widespread in each new generation. This situation is causing parents to worry more about their children's development, health, and academic performance. According to a 2017 study by Gallup research company with 1200 families, parents whose children spend more than three hours a day playing screen-based games are much more worried than parents whose children spend less time in front of screens. 67% of parents are worried about their children's stress levels, 38% about the impact on their children's academic performance, and 70% about their children's ability to get along with other children.
The Impact of Technology on Children:
Technology creates a virtual space. Children who spend most of their day in a virtual environment, without real people, are at risk of becoming disconnected from the real world over time. Children who put up a barrier between themselves and the real world may begin to struggle when they enter a social environment. The differences between the virtual world they create for themselves and the real world may be so incomprehensible that children cannot overcome them. Therefore, children begin to become isolated.
Children aged 4-12 are still in the play age. However, children who spend their playtime playing computer games gradually lose the pleasure they derive from toys and friendships. But for proper development, it's important for children to complete their playtime in a healthy way. Children who spend too much time playing computer games face the risk of prematurely ending their playtime. Aggression and power themes are more common in virtual games. Research shows that playing violent computer games leads to immediate increases in aggressive behavior.
Furthermore, research shows that children who play violent games are more aggressive than their peers. Many advertisements, often difficult to detect, are embedded within computer games. These advertisements are usually placed in the form of "product positioning," encouraging children to buy the product. However, some of these products can threaten children's mental or physical health.
The American Psychological Association's 2019 publication, "Digital Guidelines: Supporting Healthy Technology Use for Children," recommends screen time and usage by age group as follows:
Social Media Use:
Looking at social media use, we can say that its use increases significantly during adolescence. According to a 2014 study, 90% of teenagers today spend a significant portion of their day actively using social media. They use a wide variety of social media platforms. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) warns parents that students who spend more than 6 hours a day on online platforms are experiencing excessive internet use. A 2017 study of students taking the exam indicated that 26% of students fell into this category. Furthermore, it was observed that these students who use the internet excessively experience a significant decrease in self-confidence and well-being.
Among these social media platforms, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are the most well-known. For young people, regularly posting on their profiles on these platforms is seen as a way to stay in constant communication with their peers. The share, like, and reaction buttons on social media platforms cause the same part of the brain that is stimulated when children receive rewards to be stimulated in the same way. On social media platforms where these buttons are prominent, children's self-esteem can be shaped by the likes, comments, and reactions they receive. Furthermore, in the long term, these social media platforms create a tendency for children and adolescents to use them more due to the reward mechanism.
In particular, the act of receiving "likes" on social media platforms is seen by adolescents as a way to gain social approval from their peers. The negative aspect of this is that the behaviors they engage in out of a need for peer approval lead to exposure to bullying. These bullying behaviors on social media lead to negative consequences such as blocking, lynching, insults, and sharing photos without permission.
Another negative effect of social media on young people is negative body image. Negative body image; This manifests as body image issues, such as playing with facial features or body blemishes, or altering eating habits to achieve an unrealistic body shape.
However, when used effectively and consciously, social media can also lead to positive changes in students' lives. Social media allows adolescents to express themselves more easily, provides opportunities to support others, fosters understanding and respect, and most importantly, facilitates information sharing. Content-based social media platforms like YouTube allow children to easily acquire information in many different areas and to shape their own lives by drawing inspiration from the experiences of successful people. However, these platforms also contain content that is inappropriate for children's ages, based on false news, and can set a bad example. Therefore, it is the responsibility of parents to know who their child follows and watches.
UNICEF's 2017 report, "The State of the World's Children: Children in a Digital World," addresses the risks children face online in three categories: content risks, communication risks, and behavioral risks. Content risks encompass situations where children are exposed to unwanted and inappropriate content. Children are at risk of encountering pornographic and violent videos/images, and websites promoting unhealthy or dangerous behaviors online.
Communication risks include risk factors that can lead to physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse of children by adults.
Behavioral risks encompass situations where children act in a way that contributes to risky content or communication. This includes children producing, publishing, or distributing hateful material about other children. Considering all these risk factors, it is important to equip children with the knowledge and skills to ensure their safety in online environments. This knowledge and these skills include understanding the risks of creating and sharing content, learning how to protect online privacy and personal data, developing online tolerance and empathy skills, etc.
Gaming:
When children immerse themselves in a movie or a computer game, they can feel like they are in another world mentally. The lights, sounds, and rhythm of the images on the screen draw the brain into a flow. This creates an effect that can be considered hypnotic. This flow, the reward mechanisms in the game, the social group (if the game is played online with friends), makes the child feel good and they don't want the situation to change. In fact, this mechanism isn't unique to children. Adults experience similar behaviors in all screen-related activities, such as watching television, using phones, and playing games. However, adults can manage and control this internal process more easily than children.
Because of the shock reactions, defiant behavior, and angry attitudes children exhibit when the game is turned off, gaming addiction is a much more worrying issue for parents than social media or television addiction. According to the World Health Organization, health problems related to gaming behavior are not limited to gaming disorder itself. Insufficient physical activity, unhealthy eating, vision and hearing problems, musculoskeletal problems, depression, irritability, anger, and boredom can all accompany gaming disorder.
According to the World Health Organization (ICD 11), Gaming Disorder is defined by the following characteristics:
These characteristics can manifest in both online (internet-based) and offline gaming behaviors; they can lead to significant impairments in personal, social, family, educational, occupational, and other areas of life. For a diagnosis of gaming disorder, the aforementioned behaviors must be persistent and repetitive, and observed for at least 12 months. However, if all of the symptoms are present and severe, a diagnosis of gaming disorder can be made more quickly.
While protecting children from the addictive effects of gaming, keeping them away from it also harms their development. Like social media, gaming, when used consciously, has a positive impact on children. Research indicates that children who play video games frequently develop more practical thinking skills over time (Kühn, 2011), increase procedural learning processes based on acquiring new skills through practice (Pujol, 2016), and improve spatial skills related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) performance (Uttal, 2013).
YOUTUBE
Another rapidly expanding platform on the internet is YouTube. YouTube is highly popular among social platforms due to its content and the amount of time spent on it. Containing a wide variety of video types, YouTube offers a diverse range of content. However, due to the sheer volume of content, some content may not be suitable for children's age levels. As parents, we should focus on controlling the content rather than the amount of time spent on YouTube, guiding our children towards accessing healthy and beneficial content.
Another point is Vlogs! Vlogs, video content where individuals record their daily lives and share them with their followers, are among the most-watched types on YouTube. While vlogs have many positive aspects, they also have a negative side. Vlog content sometimes overly transparently portrays personal lives, disregarding the privacy of individuals. This is also leading to the emergence of a new profession for those who share these vlog videos: influencer! Yes, influencer, a profession many of us hear about frequently these days, has become increasingly popular, especially among young people, in the last few years. With changing values and the growing popularity of this profession, influencer careers are slowly becoming a career goal for many young people.
SO, IN LIGHT OF ALL THIS, WHAT SHOULD WE DO FOR CONSCIOUS TECHNOLOGY USE?
WHAT SHOULDN'T WE DO?
One of the biggest problems parents face when their children's screen time ends is convincing them to turn it off. However, once this system is established, it's possible to turn off the screen without conflict.
The secret is: build a bridge!
