Monitoring Toddlers and Technology

Monitoring Toddlers and Technology

Technology has made the history of being among the most trending subjects in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. And from the trend, it is most probably to be so even for the coming centuries. There has been witnessed a very active degree of engagement of human being s with technology. The reason is that technology has taken over control of all human life aspects. Another thing is that technology does not concern itself with age. Any individual of whichever age can at least get something from technology (Thompson, 2016). Technology is very much productive when used ethically or professionally. However, it can also be very destructive if used by people of ill motives. For this reason, my stance on this subject is that as much as I advocate for toddlers to be allowed to interact with technology, there should be plans to monitor the extent to which they interact with it.

This topic is one that has attracted the attention of various stakeholders in society. You can think of parents, teachers, religious leaders, and other participants. Everyone realizes how technology can influence the nature of society that we live in. In that case, I feel motivated to address the matter because it is of much significance for humanity. The other thing to have in mind is that the issue of parenting is dynamic (Thompson, 2016). This means that parenting styles keep on changing or evolving from now and then. However, there are many parents who perceive a computer as a gaming and socializing tool. But in the real sense, there are many other ways that a kid can use a computer to their benefit. WE have had many cases of young kids that are so talented in computer programming. This happens not by denying them access to computers but by providing a favorable environment, support, and exposure.

In the same cases, most parents do not advocate for their kids interacting with music DJ equipment. If well monitored, parents could use this kind of technology to help their kids identify and grow their talents. In simple, the principal argument in this paper is that toddlers should have monitored or regulated access to technology. A parent must accept that and take it as a challenge they need to handle. Technology is everywhere. It is both visible and invisible; denying kids access to technology does not mean that they don’t access it. After all, this will be bad for parenting because the kids will access it from your back, where you can’t monitor them. If you can’t beat them, then join them.

It is good to let toddlers interact with technology at a young age. The reason for this is that the toddlers should start getting used to or familiarizing themselves with the environment at the start of their development process (Mantilla & Susan, 2019). However, the same way we don’t teach them everything on the first day in school is the same way that we should not expose them to the entire technology in their first days in this world. Remember that too much of everything is poisonous. There is so much about technology that even adults beings do not know about. That is why there is an undeniable reason to monitor the kind of technology our toddlers interact with. More so, it is vital to define the schedules that direct how the toddlers interact with technology.

One thing about technology is that it is sweet as one gets to learn new and interesting things. Technology can also be addictive. This means that the unmonitored engagement of toddlers with technology could waste their time that is required for them to do other things. For example, there is so much body development during the age of toddlers. During this process of growth, physical and mental games are very instrumental during the cognitive development of the toddlers (Mantilla & Susan, 2019). However, the uncontrolled engagement of toddlers with technology could compromise this. The reason is that toddlers will prefer playing computer games and other forms of technologically aided games instead of natural games that have been proven to help in their growth and development processes.

Every literate person in the current world is aware that technology has so much to offer for all ages. IN that case, it requires that the parents, teachers, and seven curriculum developers work together to identify the types and levels of technology that are best suitable for toddlers. Exposing the right kind of technology is very crucial for its growth. A toddler grows with confidence and exposure that helps and motivates their creativity and also innovation (Sharkins et al., 2016). There have been various cases of toddlers or children coming up with cutting edge creativities that have been used to influence our lifestyle in one way or the other. IN other words, I don’t see the need to discuss whether or not to allow kids to engage with technology. The best thing is to let them use technology. But this comes with the fundamental responsibility of monitoring and regulating the nature of access to technology.

Work Cited

Thompson, Matthew. “Unboxing toddlers and technology: An ethnographic case study.” International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development 1.5 (2016): 49-60.

Mantilla, Ana, and Susan Edwards. “Digital technology use by and with young children: A systematic review for the Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies.” Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 44.2 (2019): 182-195.

Sharkins, Kimberly A., et al. “Preschool children’s exposure to media, technology, and screen time: Perspectives of caregivers from three early childcare settings.” Early Childhood Education Journal 44.5 (2016): 437-444.

Miller, Edward. “Fighting technology for toddlers.” Education Digest 71.3 (2005): 55.

Vandewater, Elizabeth A., et al. “Digital childhood: electronic media and technology use among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.” Pediatrics 119.5 (2007): e1006-e1015.