Are Computers Harming Our Children

More and more parents are becoming concerned about the amount of time their children are spending on computers. Kids are playing computer games, researching their homework and chatting to friends on their computers.

When children are playing computer games they are increasing their hand to eye co-ordination, learning to think quickly and to figure out how to solve problems. Even playing a game can be a learning experience for them however there is a ‘downside’ to playing computer games for prolonged periods of time. Eye strain can start causing headaches. Some of the fast moving, ‘shoot them up’ style computer games can put a lot of strain on your child’s eyes. So can sitting in a darkened room in front of a flickering computer screen. Make sure your child is not spending too long on the computer. Make sure there is proper lighting in the room (including no glare on the screen from sunlight reflecting on it during the day) and make sure they have an ergonomically planned computer work area. A proper desk, chair, computer screen and monitor are all extremely important. A child who slouches in a soft chair may cause problems as his bones are still developing. In addition computers can isolate a child with the potential of making him have problems relating to other people.

When children are researching their homework online they may be getting the wrong information. The internet is an amazing tool for researching however a child must be very careful to make sure the information they are obtaining is factual. There are a lot of websites that have incorrect information on them. Make sure your child is obtaining their information from credible sites. There are a lot of government sites online with tons of valuable research information and also universities have excellent sites. Don’t forget the online libraries. Again, be careful that your child isn’t spending too long on the computer.

Children today play with their friends at school and then come home and chat with their friends online. It used to be annoying to parents that their children were constantly on the telephone talking to their friends for hours but now more time is being spent chatting on the computer with their friends. There are several instant messenger programs which allow your child to actually speak to one or more of their friends at the same time in addition to allowing them to type in messages to each other. Children can be in contact with their friends who have moved too far away to telephone as well. Unfortunately, children are spending prolonged periods of time chatting instead of actually relating to their friends in person . Another problem is that a lot of computers are kept in a darken room which can possibly cause eye problems. Sitting too long at the computer chatting in a poorly designed work area may also cause problems to growing bones.

Computers can be an invaluable asset to your child’s life. Make sure that your child isn’t spending too long in a darkened, poorly designed work area or in general spending too long on the computer. Make sure they aren’t spending too much time being isolated without actual contact with others.