Sonia Randhawa

Walk into any home or visit any classroom and you'll notice an emerging trend: devices like computers, tablets and even smartphones are finding their way into the hands of children, sometimes at startlingly young ages. Children's increased use of technology raises important questions about how it impacts their development.

Technology gets a bad rap, and for good reason. Nearly two in five parents believe excessive screen time is the biggest threat to their children's well-being, according to a recent survey by online language-learning marketplace Preply. But it's not all digital threats. Technology also gives kids opportunities to learn, imagine, and grow like never before.

So are we raising a generation of “iPad kids” or is there something more to it than mindless scrolling?

Time spent on technology

Kids these days love screens, and the numbers prove it. On average, kids spend a whopping 2.7 hours on screens every day, outside of school and homework. And that's not all: as kids get older, screen time increases from 2 hours for 2- to 5-year-olds to 3.6 hours for teenagers.

Parents aren't going unnoticed: In fact, 82% of parents believe their children spend too much screen time, and 86% try to limit it. Despite these efforts, 68% of parents have noticed an increase in their children's screen time since 2020. According to mothers and fathers, this is an increase of 1.4 hours, with teenagers spending the most, about 2 hours too much.

To be sure, we're in uncharted territory, figuring out how to strike a balance between harnessing the educational potential of technology and preventing digital overload. Especially as screen time has skyrocketed thanks to the pandemic, parenting has been left scrambling to figure out how to incorporate technology into kids' lives in healthy and beneficial ways. Ultimately, it's a work in progress.

Potential dangers of spending too much time online

Unlike their kids, parents aren't as keen on screens. A whopping 45% of parents worry that their kids will develop a screen addiction. That's joined by 57% who believe that too much screen time is negatively impacting their child's social skills and physical health. And we're not just talking about sore thumbs from hours of gaming; it's about more fundamental issues like losing the ability to initiate a conversation or kick a ball.

And that's just scratching the surface: More than half of parents (51%) firmly believe that screen overload reduces their children's ability to concentrate, making it much harder for them to learn and achieve developmental milestones.

These statistics illustrate how the challenges of modern parenting have changed. It's no longer enough to simply regulate bedtime and make sure kids eat their vegetables. Parents are breaking new ground as they aim to foster a healthy relationship between their kids and screens.

Striking a balance between fostering digital literacy and agility while ensuring a child's physical health and social skills don't fall behind can be an exhausting task, especially when it's difficult or impossible to monitor how much time your child is spending on screens.

The positive impact of technology

While parents may express concerns about the amount of time their children spend on technology, they must be fair and give technology its due. In fact, as many as 68% of parents see the bright side of technology and acknowledge that it plays a key role in facilitating language development. Interestingly, it is low-income parents who are leading the charge and are the most likely to vouch for the impact technology has in promoting their children's language skills.

More than half of parents (55%) also notice that technology has expanded their child's vocabulary, and 53% say technology has helped their child bring their imagination to life, improving their creativity. So, while excessive use can be tough to combat, it's clear that technology also plays a role in facilitating important aspects of children's development.

lastly

Let's not forget the old adage that “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.” And when it comes to technology, it is indeed a double-edged sword. But the reality is that it's not all good or all bad. It's how you use it that matters.

It is important for parents to ensure that their children are exploring, creating and learning with digital resources and not just mindlessly swiping, because there is no denying that technology, if approached carefully, is a great asset against the hurdles of growth.