With the increased role of computers in children's lives, there has been increased concern about how children may be affected. Debate about the role of computer technology on children’s development has increased over the last year or so (Wartella & Jennings, 2000). This ‘moral panic’ centres on the negative effects that computer technology has on children. This is not the first moral panic caused by new media. Similar concerns have accompanied each new wave of media technology throughout the past century including films in the early 1900s, radio in the 1920s, and television in the 1940s (Wartella & Jennings, 2000). In all of these situations, opponents raised concern about children's exposure to such media and debates ensued with regard to their effect on young people (Wartella & Jennings, 2000).
In the current situation with children and computer technology, we have proponents trying to push to place computers and internet access into all schools, believing that computer literacy is essential, and opponents trying to push back the use of computers based on the belief that the negative effects of computers on children are uncertain (Valkenburg, 2004). (see Computer Technology and Children - Cognitive Development, Computer Technology and Children - Social Development, and Computer Technology and Children - Physical and Psychological Development for more information). Concerns about children's use of computers are being raised primarily by parents but are also appearing in the press and increasingly, in public policy forums (Wartella & Jennings, 2000).
Surveys of parents suggest that they buy home computers and subscribe to Internet access to provide educational opportunities for their children and to prepare them for the “information age�, although they are increasingly concerned about the influence these have on their children (Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield & Gross, 2000). In a recent survey of more than 1,000 parents in households with at least one working computer and at least one child aged between 8 and 17, 75% were concerned about the effects of computers, particularly the internet on their children (Wartella & Jennings, 2000). One concern voiced by parents was that although they appreciated the new educational resources that the computer provided their children, they were worried about erosion of standards and about the credibility of online information (Calvert, Jordan & Cocking, 2002). Other parents believe that computers take too much time away from other activities, such as homework, reading, music and sports (Valkenburg, 2004). They fear that the time children spend on the computer will be at the expense of other activities that are beneficial for their development and may also make children lonely and impoverish their social contacts or even impair their creativity (Valkenburg, 2004).
However despite the widespread concern regarding the effect computers have on children, there are a lot of parents who view computers as a positive force. Some survey results indicate that many parents believe that the Internet can help children with their homework and allow them to discover fascinating, useful things, and that children without access are disadvantaged compared to those with access (Shields & Behrman, 2000). Other supporters of computer technology point to the social and educational benefits of interactivity and even consider children without home computers to be at a disadvantage compared to their peers with computer access. (Wartella & Jennings, 2000; Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield & Gross, 2000).
Calvert, S., Jordan, A., & Cocking, R. (2002). Children in the Digital Age: Influences of Electronic Media on Development. Westport: Praeger Publishers, ISBN 0275976521
Shields, M., & Behrman, R. (2000). Children and Computer Technology: Analysis and Recommendations. The Future of Children Children and Computer Technology, 10 (2). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from [1]
Subrahmanyam, K., Kraut, R., Greenfield, P., & Gross, E. (2000). The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development. The Future of Children Children and Computer Technology, 10 (2). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from [2]
Valkenburg, P. (2004). Children’s Responses to the Screen: A Media Psychological Approach. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, ISBN 0805847642
Wartella, E., & Jennings, N. (2000). Children and Computers: New Technology - Old Concerns. The Future of Children Children and Computer Technology, 10 (2). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from [3]
Kelly Mothershaw 16:19, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
