Is Technology Affecting the Developmental Progress of Children?
Patrcia Odani Mukuka
Southern New Hampshire University

Increasingly, there is a large dependence on technology today as opposed to ten or twenty years ago. Technology has changed a lot of how life is lived today. It affects shopping, job seeking employment opportunities, entertainment and academics. There is no doubt that technology has set its foundation and is here to stay. One area in which the effects of technology can be clearly noted is in the lifestyle of children. The addiction to technology by children today has increased over the years. This is clearly seen in the developmental progress of children today. This dependence has greatly influenced how children interact with their peers, how they learn and how they spend their free time. It is important as educators and parents to find a balance between learning and using technological devices for recreation.
Children today have developed a total reliance on technology for communication and entertainment. Steve Carell, the actor/comedian, in his commencement speech at Princeton University in 2012 said, “When I was in college, I wouldn’t ‘text’ a girl to ask her out on a date. I would ask her, in person. One human being to another. And when she said ‘no,’ which she always did, I would suffer the humiliation and self-loathing that a young man needs for his, or her personal growth” (Farber et. al, 2012). In his speech, Steve Carell illustrates how communication and interaction with peers used to be. It was mostly face to face interactions. However, the countless changes in communication have redefined the process of how people reveal information about themselves to others. Today, young people use different forms of social media like Facebook or Twitter, to communicate with others. Clearly, this is the most common way of information sharing