A

Project Report
ON
DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY ON
CHILDREN
For the partial fulfillment of the degree course of masters of
Business Administration

SESSION: 2013-2015
Under Guidance of:

Submitted By:

Ms. MEENAKSHI KATYAL SEEMA MISHRA

(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
MANAGEMENT)
13020115

MBA 2NDyear

BHAGAT PHOOL SINHG MAHILA VISHWAVIDYALAYA

KHANPUR KALAN, SONEPAT, HARYANA

DECLARATION
I Seema Mishra Student of MBA 4th semester (session 2013-2015) in BHAGAT OHOOL
SINGH MAHILA VISHWAVIDYALAYA ,KHANPUR KALAN SONEPAT,HARYANA, has
completed this Project Report title . DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY ON
CHILDREN is an original piece of work toward partial fulfillment of MBA programme.
I Seema Mishra under the guidance of MeenakshiKatyal (ASSISTANT PROFESSOR),
BhagatPhool SinghMahilaVishwavidyalaya

Dated:
Place
SEEMA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I acknowledge here the names of those people who have been instrumental in preparation of my
project.
I acknowledge my in deftness to my parents whose support, dedication and honest efforts have
given me an immense help in doing this project.
I am thankful to my faculty Guide MEENAKSHI KATYAL (ASSISTANT PROFESSOR), for
helping me in many ways .Finally I would express my gratitude toward Management Department
faculty and those who helped me directly or indirectly in many ways and made my path more
interesting and easier.
I am grateful to all the respondents who helped me in gather the relevant information for this
research project.
Above all I praise GOD the most beneficial, the most merciful that I have been able to
complete my training project successfully.

Seema

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... 6
Introduction.................................................................................................................... 8
Obesity and Physical Fitness.......................................................................................... 20
Knowledge and Learning.............................................................................................. 20
Social Media............................................................................................................. 20
Media Images............................................................................................................ 21
Changing Social Norms................................................................................................... 22
Review of Literature....................................................................................................... 24
Objective..................................................................................................................... 32
Research Methodology.................................................................................................... 34
Reliability................................................................................................................... 38
Validity....................................................................................................................... 38
Data Analysis and Reporting.......................................................................................... 38
Conclusion................................................................................................................... 48
Limitation of Study........................................................................................................ 48
Reference.................................................................................................................... 49
week (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Keep Track of Your Kids...........................................................49

Executive Summary
This study focused on the impact of e-learning on academic performance. The study relates to a
level one undergraduate module delivered using traditional lectures and e-learning based
methods. E-learning has been revealed in this study not to have a positive impact on academic
achievement contrary to the expectations of this study.
The paper also examines the data for the presence of interaction effects between e-learning study
hours and socio-demographic characteristics. This is undertaken to identify whether or not
personal-characteristic-related learning style differences influence the extent to which students
benefit from e-learning. It is found that, after controlling for other factors, female students
benefited less from e-leaning material than their male counterparts.
The methodology that was employed in this study was systematic random sampling for students
under traditional study mode and purposive sampling in identification of students under the elearning study mode.
It is concluded that in order to improve teaching effectiveness and academic achievement, higher
education should consider aiming to develop e-learning teaching strategies that encourage
greater engagement and also take into consideration the different learning styles found within the
student body.
The study recommends that critical factors such as institutional issue, management issue,
pedagogical factors, technological issue, interface design issue, evaluation issue, and resource
support issue and the factors within each issue have not yet been investigated with detail
coverage. It further suggests that there is need to carry out detail research involving case studies
based on survey questionnaires involving various learning institutions which will ultimately give
a better understanding of impact of e-learning aspects within implementation process.

Introduction
Technology is one of the principal driving forces of the future; it is transforming our lives and
shaping our future at rates surprising in history, with profound implication which we can't even
begin to see or understand. In today's world we are plagued with technology. The technology
which surrounds almost everyone in the modern society, is changing every day, and will forever
be a staple in our lives. Kids in the current generation are enamored with technology. Although
perhaps it is not that they adore technology so much but the simple fact they have never lived
without. Technology has had a significant effect on children that has brought on some concerns.
Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children's talent for
multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2000).
There is vast amount of technology in today's world, but there are three main component of
technology that is having the greatest impact on children: video games, television/media, and
computers. The modern technologies we have today are tremendously powerful; they attract our
genetic biases. The human brain is attracted to visually presented information. Video games,
television, movies and computer programs are all very visually oriented and therefore they
magnetize and keep the attention of children.
Technology can be used for many things, some positive, some negative. The effects that are now
being documented on children whom are left unattended for hours on end are nothing but
negative. Long term damage is more prevalent in the recent studies than ever before. Researchers
are finding that many parents are using the internet and other forms of technology to raise their
children. Thus leaving small children to have free reign, and spending hours plugged in to any
form of technology is detrimental to many areas of the childs life.
Children are suffering academically in many ways. Technology is taking away from learning
skills that are necessary to survive in society. Many enter school without the ability to pay
attention for long periods of time, due to fast pace of the internet. Many other effects are being
seen, we are used to the instant gratification of the internet more now than ever before, and do
not have the patience to see projects thru to completion. Teachers are seeing more and more kids,
without the ability to control themselves. If they do not receive the answer that they want, they
have a meltdown, or a temper tantrum. A large number of children are unable to have a normal
9

conversation, they have logged so many hours online, having chat conversations that they are
unable to converse in a normal setting. (Martin 1)Teachers and other administrators are also
finding that middle school kids are carrying attitudes of invincibility. The way that some talk
online is completely different from reality, they are tough behind a keyboard, but without
being taught respect, and the skills to have an educated conversation, we are doing nothing but a
disservice to our children. If a child has been trained to occupy their time on the internet when
mom or dad is busy instead of going outside and making friends, or riding bikes how are they to
handle going to school with playground time, and activities with other children which do not
involve technology? Parents need to realize these harmful effects of technology and make it a
priority that their children learn proper socialization skills(Clinton, and Steyer). We used to
occupy our time and attention with activities like reading (this is an activity that requires
imagination, and memory), and writing. Both reading and writing develops academic skills such
as problem solving, critical thinking, and better vocabulary. This is showing in testing scores,
and school work.
Many teachers are seeing a decline in childrens writing skills. With so much of their education
now being online, the use of handwriting and general writing skills is being ignored. Cursive
handwriting has become a pastime; most children cannot write their names in cursive let alone
read it. As children emerge into adulthood there is going to be a need to be able to read cursive,
not as much as in the past, but children still need to know how to read and write it.
Most of todays children would be lost if you were to drop them in a library and tell them to find
information for a research paper, without using technology. For them the answer is to look it up
on the internet, but what about how to find information in an Encyclopedia, or in a Reference
section of the library? The use of the library is another part of education that is being forgotten
due to the growth of technology. Findings show that they are not actually retaining information,
but where to find the information. Research is showing that children are teacher taught in class
are retaining more information than those students who are plugged in for class, learning
information from an internet based program.
It has been determined that children who are using technology excessively are actually different
internally; the changes are coming from the waves emitted. Doctors are finding that the overload
of technology is hindering our short term memory. The radio waves are also causing us to be
10

wired differently; the veins of the developing eyes are shrinking, and causing a rise in vision
problems in children and adults alike. The pituitary gland is over-releasing dopamine more than
ever before. If you get excited by something your gland will release dopamine. For many people
instead of it releasing when you get excited about something like a new job or a workout at the
gym, they are getting releases when they get an email. The problem with the release from
something like an email is most people receive emails on a minute to minute basis, and this high
frequency of small exciting moments is causing the pituitary gland to be overworked, thus the
rise in depression. If the gland is overworked it will not produce as much as it should when
necessary.
Some doctors say the overwhelming rise in diagnoses such as ADD and ADHD can be directly
linked to the overuse of things like cell phones, tablets, computers, and televisions. The stress
caused on the body during use of things such as video games causes a persistent hypervigalent
sensory system, the long term effects of the body being on alert for long periods of time is the
rise we see in weakened immune system, serious diseases, and disorders. Other auditory
processing disorders that were mostly unheard of have become more common than ever before.
Things such as CAPD (central auditory processing disorder), Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep
Deprivation have become so common it is not odd, or awkward to see/hear of someone being
diagnosed. Sleep Deprivation comes from the brain not knowing how to turn off. After hours on
a technology based item the brain is moving on to the next level, or chapter instead of turning off
and getting good rest. It takes over 30 minutes for your eyes to relax after you turn something
with a backlight off (such as a cell phone or tablet). Anxiety can be caused due to the rise in
blood pressure and heart rate for an extended period of time when using gaming technology.
Doctors and researchers are linking obesity to the rise in technology as well. Young children
require 2-3 hours per day of active rough and tumble play to achieve adequate sensory
stimulation to their vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile systems. Tactile stimulation received
through touching, hugging and play is critical for the development of praxis, or planned
movement patterns. Touch also activates the parasympathetic system lowering cortisol, adrenalin
and anxiety(Rowan). Cortisol causes belly fat in humans. When children are sitting in front of a
monitor instead of running and playing outside they are storing fat not burning it. This coupled
with the decline in the purity of the food that we consume is a recipe for destruction, or obesity.
Many family units have been damaged due to technology use and although there are some small
11

positive effects of technology on the majority the damage that it is causing to the brains of our
children severely outweighs any positive.
Technology has become an essential part of Americans daily lives, affecting our
communications, mail, relationships, the management of our bills and finances. As we have
become more immersed in the benefits and capabilities of these constantly developing
technologies, children as well as adults have become avid users. Laptops and cell phones are
specially developed for preteens. Software and game companies have been targeting children in
their game development. Video games have become common entertainment for children as
young as four. Children today can pick up a smart phone and quickly learn how to use all of its
features, as if it were inherent to them.
Todays American children have a higher exposure to technology than any previous generation.
Doctors, experts, and parents alike have begun to worry about the effects of this exposure as
these children get older. Some believe that technology has provided a wide variety of benefits to
children, and aided with their development. For example, technology allows for the classroom to
be updated and education to be modernized to keep up with the ever-changing and high paced
world. However, on the opposing side, some believe that technology is stunting childrens
development, and making them more prone to violence.
In order to determine how technology should be integrated into childrens lives, if at all, we must
analyze the different effects technology has been having on the youth of this generation. I have
researched several benefits and detriments to technology in the hands of children and taken a
look at how they influence childrens mental and physical development. Along with extensive
research on the topic, I have also interviewed a senior research scientist at the Center for
Children and Technology, Cornelia Brunner, spoken to a class of fourth grade students about
their technology usage, and surveyed high school students and adults about their thoughts on
technology trends and ideals in childrens lives. Through these experiences and research I have
been able to see what the trends are in technology for children and how different age groups feel
about the topics. Through my project I aim to educate people about not only how technology
affects children, but also how it can be properly incorporated into their lives.

12

13

Advantage: The Positive Side for Technology

Children Updating the Classroom
There have been several studies on the positive educational impact that technology has on
students as young as kindergarteners. In 1999, Cheryl Lemke, executive director of the Milken
Exchange on Education technology, conducted an interview with Technology and Learning
Magazine to outline specifically why technology in the classroom is truly a benefit for students
(cosmopolisschool.com). In her interview, Lemke outlines these four distinct reasons as:
Technology accelerates and enriches basic skills. Students who have access to technology
become more quickly engrossed in the material, and as such are able to absorb the
information more quickly. Electronic material can be more stimulating and interactive for
children.
Technology is incredibly motivational since it provides ease to students. In a study
conducted by David Dwyer, vice president of advanced learning technology for
Computer Curriculum Corporation, students were found to produce more writing because
it was easier to type than write, which kept them more interested.
Technology facilitates new fields through simulations and three-dimensional models that
would not have been accessible beforehand.
Technology prepares students for the workforce at a young age, which is becoming more
and more of a vital skill as technology in our society becomes more relevant. According
to the US Department of Commerce, sixty percent of jobs today require technological
skills, and this is expected to increase to ninety percent in the next fifty years.
The U.S. Department of Education has also released their own information on educational
technology that mirrors Lemkes opinions and ideas. The point that echoes between both of these
sources is that we are living in modern times with more options available to children, and
educational models that would not have been accessible beforehand must be modernized to keep
up. It cannot be expected for children to learn the same way as previous generations if they are
expected to stay ahead in this fast paced world (U.S. Department of Education). While putting
technology in early education may seem alarming, it is shown that the presence of technology for
kids has several benefits. Along with the preparation for the work force, technology allows
children to learn in a whole new way. Children can view animations of the solar system, look at
three-dimensional models of the human body, and learn through interactive games. Senior
Research Scientist at the Center for Children and Media, Cornelia Brunner, has been an active
14

participant in projects that bring educational technology to children. In project Ready to Learn,
for example, Ms Brunner worked to develop educational videos and curricula for children
between the ages of two and eight (Center for Children and Technology). She found that children
used the technology well and seemed to work with it naturally. They have no way to compare it
with anything. But we did find that they liked it a lot and that it didnt stop them from being just
as interested in playing with sand and water and dolls ad cars. So it provided them with another
option and it did them no harm.
Children today can use technology as a supplement with traditional education, not as a
replacement. The proper mix of these two elements can give children all the benefits of a modern
education without requiring much training for children. When using modern technology, children
pick it up at amazing speeds. A Cape Cod father of three said,
When my five year old daughter uses my computer, she doesnt even need me to help her. She
just figures it out on her own, and can quickly use it just as well as the next person. Thats not to
say she suddenly understands all the content, but she knows how to make it function, and to
navigate it. Its as if technology is becoming innate to todays children. Assistive technology to
help students with disabilities has also become vastly popular in the classroom. Assistive
technologys purpose is to augment abilities and bypass or compensate for a disability (Lewis).
Computers have been specifically useful, for they allow us to manipulate items such as text to
meet the needs of individual students. For example, text can be made larger so it can be seen
easier, and also read aloud for deaf students. More recently, specific devices have been
engineered to cater to students with specific disabilities. DynaMyte, for instance, is a portable
communication device that facilitates students with communicative disabilities to speak and
converse with others through a keyboard composed of symbols. With these sorts of innovations,
it has been estimated that approximately 95% of students with disabilities between the ages of
six and eleven are able to receive their education in regular classrooms (ATTO).

15

Increasing Visual Reasoning

When we use the any form of todays technology, images are shown to us atspeeds higher than
ever before. We can watch high definition videos that make us feellike were in the picture. We
have intricate visualizers that allow us to see our music.Games have been developed to look
more realistic than ever. Although older generationswho are now just beginning to see this are
not highly affected, children who have beendeveloping along with these new high speed games
are showing an increase in theirvisual reasoning skills. After examining over fifty studies on the
effects of technology onchildren, UCLA Dr. Patricia Greenfield confirmed a correlation of higher
visualreasoning skills in children in this generation (International Examiner). One particularstudy
noted

that

children

who

were

adept

at

video

games

were

better

at

keyhole

surgery(infopackets.com). These results have been facilitated by games that have been
developedto become emotionally, socially, and visually stimulating to children. They have
beencreated to foster attention to detail, hand eye coordination, as well as survival
tactics.Because of all the visual stimuli that result from modern gaming and electronics,children
can comprehend complex visual images more than ever before. When looking ata modern
gaming system, it can be seen how this is possible. Games today are made tolook like reality.
Characters are crafted with such detail that they could be mistaken forreal people. Think of the
contrast to what games had to offer twenty years ago: pixilatedimages of characters no bigger
than your thumb. Now, children are seeing complexstructures, monsters, machines, and worlds
that enter into their vision at an alarminglyquick pace. Because of this sort of exposure, children
today are more used to theseimages and as such can react to and understand them quicker than
previous generationscould have.

16

Using technology to get Physical

With the introduction of systems such as the Wii and the Xbox Kinect, gameshave become much
more than a sedentary activity. Exergaming, or playing games thatrequire a physical movement
or reaction, has grown in popularity since its introduction afew years ago. Game systems are now
actively encouraging that children play morephysical games that require motion in order to win
(USAtoday). Some of the most well-known of these games are Wii Sports, in which children and
adults can play virtualgames, such as tennis and baseball, and Just Dance! For the Kinect. A
game highlygeared toward exercise is Wii Fit Plus, which includes activities for yoga, aerobics,
andbalance improvement, and also allows users to chart their progress and see how well theyare
improving.According

to

study

presented

to

the

American

College

of

Sports

Medicine,participating in exergaming requires at least twice the amount of energy as

traditionalvideo gaming, and can raise childrens activity levels to meet guidelines for
moderateintensityactivity level (USAToday). Although exergaming should not be used to
replaceexercising, it is a great way to engage children with higher BMIs to take part in
physicalactivity (MedicineNet). Heavier children who took part in a study in which they first
didtraditional exercise, such as running, and then exergamed seemed to enjoy exergamingmuch
more than children of a normal weight, who were not as challenged.Using interactive gaming,
video game companies have managed to successfullypush an active lifestyle on young gamers, as
well as promote family time, which iscrucial for childhood development (teenagers today), and
this movement has been vastlysuccessful. Children have been excited about these games since
their introduction, and afew that I spoke to, even rank them as their favorite. One fourth grade
girl said her favorite game was Wii Sports resort because theres this thing called Speed Slice
and you get to cut all these like acorns, and like all these foods and stuff, and it actually givesyou
really good exercise.

17

Keeping Track of Children

Safety has become a major concern for parents who are trying to keep control oftheir children in
an increasingly busy and distracting world. As our lives get more chaoticand crowded, parents
have been looking for more efficient and reliable ways of keepingan eye on where their children
are at all times. Allowing children to have a cell phonefulfills this functionality for connectivity,
and is now easier and more accessible than everbefore. The development of cell phones made
specifically for children helped to ease theconcerns that come along with childhood connectivity.
With smart phones having morecapabilities than some computers, parents worry that putting
them in the hands ofchildren is detrimental, but risk not knowing where their son or daughter is
after school oron a Saturday afternoon.

18

Effect: The Negative Side of Technology on Children

Our childrens digital lives are turning them into much different creatures from us and
Not necessarily for the better. Dalton Conley, Time Magazine
Loss of Privacy: Were always connected, because were always connecting.
As society become more connected through the internet, cell phones, and social networking,
privacy for children is becoming a major concern, and one that is difficult to find a solution to.
Currently, the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) acts to protect children under
thirteen from the distribution of their information. Sites can enforce this by releasing a privacy
statement, or disallowing young children from using their site at all (coppa.org). However, it can
be difficult to know for sure that the child using your website is being honest about their age or
any of their information at all. Facebook has been arguably the biggest web phenomena in recent
memory, taking in millions of active users and allowing them to keep in touch with their friends
and family, and also the entire world. Any user can constantly and publicly broadcast their
photos, videos, opinions, personal information, and even exact location, to whomever they so
choose. While Facebook imposes and does its best to keep up with the thirteen-year-old age
minimum, this can even be difficult to enforce. Children can easily claim to be thirteen when
theyre still a couple years younger, and sometimes, parents even allow this. A 47-year-old Cape
Cod mother said, You know, I feel like a hypocrite, because Im saying I dont think children
should have a Facebook before theyre sixteen but hes eleven, and he has one. And we had to
lie about his age, and say hews thirteen.While it is possible for children such as these to have
private accounts on the site, it is often difficult to understand how to become as private as we
might like to be. This can be difficult for even for some adults, especially when Facebook
founder MarkZuckerburg isnt all too concerned with privacy himself. He was quoted saying that
privacy is no longer a social norm and that People have really gotten comfortable not only
sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people
(theguardian.com). In this type of public online environment, adults and children can attempt to
hide their information, but it may be more difficult than originally thought. Children can hide
their information from those who they are not friends with, but at this point, this might not even
prove to be enough. Facebook has exploded into a widely used advertising agent, making it even
more difficult to keep your information to yourself. Applications have become a popular feature
of the site. They appeal to children because they serve so many functions, such as game systems,
19

quizzes, horoscopes, and deal finders, however, they come with their ownrisks. Applications are
able to take information from their subscribers, even if the persononly used the application once.
Also, buried in Facebooks privacy controls are settingsthat allow third party companies to
access much of your information if even a single one of your friends use their application. For
example, if a childs friend uses Farmville, the company can also access the childs information
including their bio, birthday, whether or not theyre online, photos, status update, or hometown
(facebook.com). With this being unknown to most adults, it is difficult to fathom that a thirteenyear-old child will be able to understand and keep track of these settings as well. Facebook is not
the only threat to a childs Internet security. Recently, Google Buzz has become a point of
concern for many parents as well. Technology analyst Charlene Li spoke in an article from the
Los Angeles Times about the issues rising from her nine-year-old daughter using the very public
website. After she found her daughter publicly posting a conversation with her friends, she
looked deeper into the site and found some alarming posts. Fortunately, this was her only buzz
posting. But what was most disturbing was looking at her friends conversations and realizing
that some of them were chatting with complete strangers, and in some cases, sharking personal
information like e-mails. Absolutely terrifying as these are forth grades who have no clue.
These children having no clue is what is most alarming about childrens Internet usage. Many
children do not realize how public their information is becoming, and how many potentially
threatening people can access it. As children publicly post their emails, schedules and locations,
they are allowing strangers to know where they are at all times. It is more difficult to keep
yourself private when our world suddenly became the entire World Wide Web.
Lessened ability to multitask
Although many avid technology users believe they have become more able to handle
multitasking, scientific studies have shown that the effects of using technology may be opposite
of these conceptions. Technology today has become more than just using a computer at work, or
checking your email once you get home. It has become a constant stream of information flowing
into our lives through mobile notifications, thousands of functional apps, and the easily
accessible wireless Internet. These capabilities have been great, however as Powers states in
Hamlets Blackberry Weve been doing our best to ignore it, but it wont go away. It comes
down to this: Were all busier. Much, much busier. American society has become used to
distractions and constant business thanks to the new needs to check our social media and receive
20

instant email updates to our pockets. Powers writes in many ways they [digital technologies]
do make things easier, reducing the time and trouble it takes to communicate and perform
important tasks. But at the same time, they link us more tightly to all the sources of our
busyness. According to an article in Time magazine, eight to eighteen year olds spend seven
hours and thirtyeight minutes a day using entertainment media. As they have become so
absorbed into it, that social and entertainment media become a constant distraction. These
distractions affect the way childrens developing brains absorb new information, and can lead to
continuous partial attention (CPA). Coined by former Microsoft executive, Linda Stone, CPA is
the state we enter into when we are using technology and are forced to split our attention
between several different tasks. We shift our priority to what is most important, and are
constantly paying some attention to several things, and yet never giving our full attention to any
one task (Time Magazine). Childrens high ability to do this leads many to believe that their
multitasking skills have skyrocketed, however, this superficial reasoning is hiding other findings.
Constantly focusing on several tasks at once changes the way people think and behave. While
children who use technology may be able to split their priority between many tasks, they have
become unable to focus, due to constant bursts of new information. In an article in the New York
Times, scientists discussed the negative effects of new multi tuskers. According to their research,
multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information... and
they experience more stress. To test these studies, subjects were divided into two groups, those
who were heavy multitaskers and those who werent. The groups were then shown two brief
images of red and blue rectangles, and told to state whether or not the red rectangles had moved.
They were told to completely disregard the blue rectangles. In this test, the multitaskers scored
significantly lower than the non-multitaskers, showing that they had a more difficult time
filtering out the irrelevant information in the test (NYTimes.com). Testssuch as this show that
children who heavily use technology and become accustomed to itsconstant reminders and
multiple functionality will be better at multitasking, but will befar more sensitive to incoming
information, and will not be as good at focusing entirelyon tasks that may require it. While this
multitasking has its place, it will not movechildren into higher status jobs. Multitaskers become
more skilled in higher monotonousjobs, where less information will be incoming, such as factory
lines. They will not be aswell suited for deep thinking and higher paying jobs.

21

Obesity and Physical Fitness

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that obesity -- or having a
body weight that is at least 10 percent more than the recommended number of pounds for the
child's age and height -- has multiple causes, one of which is a lack of exercise. Spending hours
in front of screen, whether it is a television or computer, can quickly contribute to a serious
decrease in the amount of physical activity that a child gets during the day. Children need at least
60 minutes of physical activity each day to maintain a healthy weight and level of fitness,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The more tech-time that a
child engages in, the less likely it is that he will get in his daily dose of physical activity. This
can, in turn, contribute to negative effects such as weight gain.

Knowledge and Learning

Along with advances in technology comes an ever-growing ability for kids to get in touch with
information and educational resources. Although this seems, on the surface, a positive when it
comes to a child's learning and development, there are times when it actually has negative
consequences. While trusted sources such as universities or major educational organizations have
websites that contain real, verifiable information, other websites may not have the same
authority. Technology and the Internet allow almost anyone to post information and call it an
authoritative source. As an adult, you may know that Mr. Bob's bio facts are far from true, but
that doesn't mean that your child has the same understanding. She may take everything that she
reads online as fact, leading to misinformation or even a slightly skewed way of thinking.

Social Media
Social media can help your child to connect to his friends, develop interpersonal skills and come
out of his shy shell, but it also has a much more destructive side. Adolescents who use social
networking sites regularly demonstrate narcissistic tendencies more often than those who don't
use this type of technology, according to the American Psychological Association. Additionally,
children who use social media may not fully understand how the anonymity of the Internet
allows predators to pose as kids, putting them at risk in the event that they give out personal
information or plan an in-person meeting.

22

Media Images
Between the TV, laptops, tablets, cell phones, iPods and all of the other technological devices
that your child uses, he is constantly inundated with an array of media images. These often
include, and glorify, negative behaviors such as underage drinking, drug use or risky sexual
situations. Additionally, the media may portray an idealized image of the child or teenager when
it comes to weight and appearance. Your child can develop a warped sense of reality and what is,
and isn't, acceptable when it comes to his actions. The American Academy of Pediatrics, on its
Healthy Children website, recommends that parents screen what their kids are watching and
discuss negative media images.

23

Changing Social Norms

While this generation may be the most connected generation ever, this ability to instantly contact
anyone may pose a great risk to young children. When people interact with one another through
the Internet or cell phones, it is a far different social experience than speaking with someone oneon-one. When we communicate in these ways, we are hidden behind the digital wall, which can
allow us to have conversations we might not have in person. For instance, users of dating
websites will be more likely to ask someone to chat on the site than they would be if it were a
face-to-face interaction. Hiding behind the digital veil for media based conversations has caused
children to develop a disconnect from others, and even from themselves. Technology has
completely changed the way Americans communicate, including children. According to a recent
study released by Pew, electronic media does not cause social isolation, however, it has
completely changed the way Americans define their social circles and friends. Those who use
social networking are 30% less likely to know their neighbors, and 26% less likely to provide
them with companionship. As children have more of their communication through electronic
media, and less of it face-to-face they begin to feel more lonely and depressed. According to a
Cape Cod physician, this has stemmed further than just within the home. He said You know,
more physicians areusing computers and electronics to view records and patient information.
Ive heard from patients, that theyre wondering is he talking to me, or is he talking to the
screen? They feel more isolated and feel like theyre talking through a screen. Children
especially have been using technology to cope with situations that may be more emotionally
stressful. Hiding behind the digital wall, such as texting or Internet communications, allows
children to deal with situations that they wouldnt want to face-to-face, such as ending
relationships or dealing with bullies (Campbell). Children who are more meek and shy will be
able to have a conversation with someone without worrying about awkward silences and lack of
conversational topics. However, it seems that using electronic media to hide from stressful
situations may actually begin to impact their capacity to interact with each other.

24

25

Review of Literature
The technology which is just now beginning to be manipulated and harnessed is affecting the
minds of small children and adolescents in ways that could be harmful.
By far the largest concern of technology today is video games. There have been so many
experiments and studies to try and figure out if video games have a negative or positive effect on
our children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive
cognitive, attitudes and behaviors (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Video games can obviously be
dangerous for our children causing aggression, bad performances in school and obesity. Although
we cant blame all of these problems on the use of video games, there have been many studies to
prove so. Boys do seem to be more attracted to video games than girls are, Adolescent girls
played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week
(D.A. Gentile, 2004).
The effects of both violent and non-violent video game playing can be determined by the amount
of time playing the video game and by the content of the games being played. The content of the
games being played could definitely have a factor in how a child performs in school, and how
aggressive they are towards peers and teachers. Obviously if a child is playing hours upon hours
of violent video games, this can lead to them acting out violence and having no consequences for
it. If a child took the time that they played video games a week and used that time to be engaged
in reading, homework or even a creative activity we'd have less issues with our children's school
performances. Parents should really be monitoring how long their child is playing video games,
but this doesn't always happen. A child who plays video games for long periods of time could
also build up a social wall, become a loner. It is important for children to interact with other
children in order to help develop their social skills, which without will make it very difficult to
make it in this world. At the age children start playing video games, it is hard for them to
distinguish what is reality and what is not. So in some cases the violent acts in video games
could make the child believe the world is a scary place.
More than a thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media,
and video games of violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children,
desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe the world is a 'meaner and scarier' place
26

than it is (Tompkins, 2003). Children who are playing endless hours of video games are also said
to have less hobbies and activities, which may lead to obesity. Obesity in young children has
become an overwhelming problem these days. They are now making "fit" video games such a
Wii Fit, which involves actual movement and exercise. Video games like these are excellent
especially if your child just needs to play a video game. There are educational video games out
now, more and more are surfacing. The amount of time children play these is completely
different than the amount of time children are playing violent video games. Educational video
games obviously can do a lot for your child, they can improve vocabulary, mathematics, and
some fitness. So increasing the time they are interacting with educational video games is said to
have a very positive effect on them.
Even though they make video games with the intent to be entertaining, challenging and
sometimes educational, most of them do include some form of violence. Recent content analysis
of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content and that about
half of the games include serious violent content towards other game characters (D.A. Gentile,
2004). It is now a known fact that playing violent video games increases aggressive behaviors,
increases aggressive cognitive, increases aggressive emotions, decreases pro social behaviors and
increases physiological arousal. So people do say that children who already have aggressive
tendencies get therapy from playing violent video games. By releasing their aggression on
playing a video game, they are less likely to be aggressive towards others. Then others believe
that violent video games maybe even more harmful to the children who were characteristically
aggressive already. Because violence is such an attractive part to a video game, companies will
continue to keep selling violent video games, to make more money. Although now they do
usually list the rating on the game, but who's to say that parents will take any interest in the
rating. Most parents are to blame for their children playing violent video games, how else would
they get the game? Parents need to be held responsible for the effects that violent video games
have on our children, they need to be monitoring them more closely.
Recent research has shown that connections between children playing violent video games can
cause later aggressive behavioral problems. In retrospect studies have also shown a twelve
percent increase in aggressive behavior after watching violent television as well (Tompkins,
2003). For many years it has been a part of the repercussions that television has on children.
27

Now we have those special chips called V-chips to put in the TVs to block certain programs or
channels. But who knows what your children are watching when they go to a friends house, or
even at school. Exposing your children to some violence almost seems inevitable, everywhere
we turn there is some kind of violence on some kind of new piece of technology. Endless hours
of watching television may be thought of as somewhat entertaining to a child, but it has such
negative effects on them. TV is consistently reinforcing gender-roles and stereotypes which isn't
always a good thing to show our children. A child should be out running around, exploring their
environment, participating in activities and sports. Children who view media violence are more
likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of
violence and injury that lead to violent behavior through imitation (Tompkins, 2003).
During the first 2 years of a child's life, the brain is at a critical developing period. Television can
get in the way of a child exploring, learning and spending time interacting with their parents and
other children. Having time to play with others helps kids develop the skills they need to grow
cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally. If parents limit the television that their preschool age child is watching it can be a good thing as long as what they are watching is
educational or age appropriate. If you allow your children particularly ages 2-7 to watch shows
or movies with scary monsters, they will remember those scary faces. Children this age have a
hard time distinguishing between real and fantasy, so to tell them that monsters don't exist,
wouldn't really console them. While kids 8-12 are usually scared by natural disasters, the threat
of violence and victimization of kids. Many shows or movies now a days depict risky behaviors,
such as sex and substance abuse. They portray these things as cool, fun and exciting, and there is
often no discussion about the consequences of these actions. More and more now we are seeing
alcohol ads on television, and more underage children are being exposed to them. Over sixty
percent of television shows being shown in prime time contain some form of violence
(Tompkins, 2003). They are now linking child obesity to over watching of television which
includes four or more hours a day. While watching television kids are usually inactive and
usually snacking. Kids are getting overwhelmed with the many ads on television encouraging
them to eat unhealthy foods. The ads are meant to target children, by showing sugary cereal, or
sugar filled soft drinks. Children are being manipulated by advertising companies, so then they
beg and plead with their parents to buy them exactly what they have seen on television. In
another study of preschoolers (ages 1-4), a child's risk of being overweight increased by 6% for
28

every hour of television watched per day. If that child had a TV in his or her bedroom, the odds
of being overweight jumped an additional 31% for every hour watched. Preschool children with
TVs in their bedroom watched an additional 4.8 hours of TV or videos every week(Dennison,
2002). Parents should treat watching television as a privilege, maybe not allowing television in
their child's room will help reduce the percentage of overweight children. Its simple, reduce the
amount of time your children are doing nothing with their minds or body, and increase the
amount of time they are exploring things and participating in physical activities. So over all its
apparent that watching too much television isn't healthy for any child of any age, or even any
adult.
While boys tend to be more attracted to violence on television, girls tend to be more attracted to
the teeny bopper shows. Some of these shows include situations that are not likely to ever
happen, or that are too mature for the child whos watching them. The image that most female
television/movie stars, and models are giving to young girls is that the skinner you are the better.
We are in a vein world, where somehow everyone got the impression that its not alright to look
healthy, better to be overly skinny. Eating disorder experts say prepubescent girls are developing
eating disorders as young as 5 and 6 years old. They may be getting their obsession from parents
who are preoccupied with their own body images, and media images of skinny stars like the
Olsen twins, or even Kiera Knightly, whom stars in a very popular movie series Pirates of the
Caribbean. Which is a movie directed towards the younger crowd, considering it is a Disney
movie. If we take a look at the figure of Barbie, whose body is considered to be perfect, yet no
girl or woman could achieve a body like this, this figure is a definition of beautiful.
Unfortunately the only way to help change the outlook of body images is to help our children
know its ok to be a different shape than someone else, to teach them its not okay to poke or
make fun of children who are bigger sizes. This is not something we need to change just for our
children but also for ourselves and our world.

Some programs that may seem age appropriate for our children, are still showing some sort of
sexual activity. Young girls are getting the image that it is okay to engage in some sort of sexual
activity, even if that is just kissing. Some of these shows are saying that having a relationship at a
young age is okay, kids need to be kids and not worry about relationships until they have at least
29

approached puberty. Blaming only television and technology for these acts is unfair, because
parents have a lot of effect on their children as well. Children are just getting the wrong message
from a lot of these shows, that premarital sex is the thing to do, that even something as simple as
kissing is okay. This all depends on the age of the child, some parents need to make sure that the
shows their child is watching is age appropriate. Maybe some parents need to watch a couple of
minutes of the show their child wants to watch and get the feeling, and voice of the show to
determine whether its appropriate for their child.
Children are natural 'manipulators' of the world-they learn through controlling the movement of
and interaction between objects in their world: dolls, blocks, toy cars, and their own bodies. With
television, they watch and do not control anything, computers allow interaction. Children can
control the pace and activity and make things happen on computers (Perry, 1999). Computers are
becoming a part of everyone's daily lives. We have them at work, home and even at school in
children's class rooms. Computers like all technology have their pros and cons. obviously the
computer can open up a world of intelligence for children, you can look up and explore anything
you want on the internet. Studies indicate that the media can promote pro-social behavior that
some computer games can hone visual intelligence and that classroom use of the internet links
children with distant mentors and resources, enriching the way kids learn (Carpenter, 2000).
Computers are now being used as a learning tool, we have access to them, and we might as well
try and use them for good. Technology offers children a sense of empowerment and provides
kids with the tools needed to solve problems (Goessel, 2002-2008). Educational websites, and
games are at the reach of our children's hands, not to mention if they want to know everything to
know about Alaska, or who holds the record for chewing gum the longest, they can. Computers
can have a great influence on developing hand- eye coordination, since it does take this skill to
type and use a mouse. But still the time they spend on the computer should be limited, because
kids still need social interaction, and physical activity. We must encourage our children to
develop the ability to think first and then give them a computer (Fanning, 2007).
Even though we can see many positive outcomes from children using computers, there are also
many negative views. Computers are being introduced to children younger and younger these
days. Which is making our children lazy, they can now type papers that automatically spell check
for them, they don't even have to go to the library to do a research paper, and the computer puts
30

all information at a click of the mouse. While it is a nice way for children to communicate with
their friends, whatever happen to hand writing a note? Our kids are talking in chat rooms, to who
knows, they could be talking to a sexual predator. We have seen this in many cases, the world is
such a crazy place and we have to do the best to protect our children from it. Hours and hours of
computer use can also be physically damaging to children causing bad posture, hand problems
and can affect their eye sight. A child who is always on the computer can cause a lack of social
skills. Children need interactive time with peers and adults to really develop correctly. On the
computer our children can come across things that aren't age appropriate for them such as
violence, and sex. All they have to do is type in a word and somehow it can be referenced to sex,
and link them to a pornography site.
Computers are now being linked to as a factor to anti-social behaviors, primarily because
computers are replacing normal social activities. Anti-social personality disorder is characterized
as a gross disparity between behavior and the prevailing social norms. Children who constantly
use the internet as a form of socializing can develop social anxiety disorder or an internet
addiction. You may think that young children cant have an internet addiction, but today it is
becoming more common. Some children would rather rush home and get onto the internet rather
than go play outside with friends or do a creative activity with their parents. Children are
isolating themselves from the 'real' world with the excessive use of computers. They are only
knowing the web world.
Some may not realize it but cell phones do have an effect on our children. In fact they say that
children under the age of 8 shouldn't even use one. Cell phones can not only cause brain tumors,
but also impaired cognitive functions. Scientist have now discovered that even a two-minute cell
phone call can alter the electrical activity of a child's brain for up to an hour after the phone call.
This finding has led many doctors to believe that the disruption in brain activity can lead to
psychiatric and behavior problems and can impair learning ability. The alteration in brain waves
can lead to aggressive behaviors, lack of ability to learn and memory loss. A study found that
children who used cell phones, and whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy were 80
percent more likely to have behavioral problems such as emotional symptoms, inattention,
hyperactivity and problems with peers compared with children who had no cell phone exposure
as fetuses or in early childhood. Children whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy but
31

who had no other cell phone exposure were 54 percent more likely to have behavioral problems
(Roan, 2008).

32

33

Objective

To study the various effect of technology on children

To study about types of technology
To study about which technology is most effective for children
To study about new technology and how would effect on children
To study New technology causes concern about effect on children
To Study about the impact of modern technology on children's ability to learn at school.
To Study the effects of technology on child's brain?

Scope of the Study

i.

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35

Research Methodology
Research is a process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting information to answer questions.
But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it must, as far as
possible, be controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and critical.
Controlled- in real life there are many factors that affect an outcome. The concept of
control implies that, in exploring causality in relation to two variables (factors), you set
up your study in a way that minimizes the effects of other factors affecting the
relationship.This can be achieved to a large extent in the physical sciences (cookery,
bakery), as most of the research is done in a laboratory. However, in the social
sciences(Hospitality and Tourism) it is extremely difficult as research is carried out on
issuesrelated to human beings living in society, where such controls are not
possible.Therefore in Hospitality and Tourism, as you cannot control external factors,
youattempt to quantify their impact.
Rigorous-you must be scrupulous in ensuring that the procedures followed to
findanswers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified. Again, the degree of
rigorvaries markedly between the physical and social sciences and within the
socialsciences.
Systematic-this implies that the procedure adopted to undertake an investigationfollow a
certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazardway. Some
procedures must follow others.
Valid and verifiable-this concept implies that whatever you conclude on the basis ofyour
findings is correct and can be verified by you and others.
Empirical-this means that any conclusion drawn are based upon hard evidencegathered
from information collected from real life experiences or observations.
Critical-critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods employed is crucialto a
research enquiry. The process of investigation must be foolproof and free from

36

TYPES OF RESEARCH
Research can be classified from three perspectives:
1. Application of research study
2. Objectives in undertaking the research
3. Inquiry mode employed
Application:
From the point of view of application, there are two broad categories of research:
pure research and
Applied research.
Pure research:-involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses that are intellectually
challenging to the researcher but may or may not have practical application at the present time or
in the future. The knowledge produced through pure research is sought in order to add to the
existing body of research methods.
Applied research:- is done to solve specific, practical questions; for policy formulation,
administration and understanding of a phenomenon. It can be exploratory, but is usually
descriptive. It is almost always done on the basis of basic research. Applied research can be
carried out by academic or industrial institutions. Often, an academic institution such as a
university will have a specific applied research program funded by an industrial partner
interested in that program.
Objectives:
From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as

descriptive
correlation
explanatory
exploratory

37

Descriptive research: - attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon,

service or programmed, or provides information about, say, living condition of a community, or
describes attitudes towards an issue.
Correlation research: -attempts to discover or establish the existence of relationship/
interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation.
Explanatory research:- attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between two or
more aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
Exploratory research:-is undertaken to explore an area where little is known or to investigate
the possibilities of undertaking a particular research study (feasibility study/ pilot study).
Secondary Data Collection for Effect of technology: It can be collected from internal as well as external sources like school, home etc.
A) Internal Source:
Various internal sources like Childrens, books, School, news paper, TV etc.
B) External Sources:

Libraries, trade publications, literatures, etc are some important sources of external data.
The Researcher has used primary data for the core purpose of the project and this primary data
has been gathered by survey method. The researcher has also used secondary data

Data collection Tools:

To conduct a survey, the Researcher has selected a structured questionnaire as an
instruction for gathering valuable information from the children. Questionnaire, which is used for
the survey, is consisting of questions and checklist questions to check the impact of technology.

38

A) Sampling Plan:
The researcher has design a sampling plan that is consist of five decisions.
I)

Sampling unit:

Who is to be surveyed?
The Researcher has selected child, school, and home, student (Age below 13) to conduct survey
and to measure effect of technology.
II)

Sampling types:

There are two types of sampling i.e. Probability Sampling and Non probability Sampling.
Probability Sampling: -

Probability sampling means each unit of the universe has equal chance of getting selected.
Sample Size:

Sample size means limited numbers of respondents covered under the research study from a
population and the researcher has taken a survey of 100 respondents to know the effect of
technology on Children.
III)

Sampling Area:

The researchers area for survey was:

School (Student age below 13 years)
Game spot
Social Media (Like facebook,whatsup,twitter etc )

39

Reliability
Reliability is the proportion of variance attributable to the time measurement of a variable and
estimates the consistency of such measurement over time from a research instrument. It is a
measure of the degree to which a research instrument would yield the same results or data after
repeated trials. In order to ensure reliability the researcher issued the questionnaires to the
respondents, collected them and checked on the responses. After two weeks the questionnaires
were re-tested by administering it at again to respondents with the same characteristics. This
ensured internal consistency of the questionnaire and affirmed the responses from the selected
sample.
Validity
Validity establishes the relationship between the data and the variable or construct of interest. Its
estimates how accurately the data obtained in a study represents a given variable or construct in
the study .To ensure accuracy of the data the researcher pre-tested the questionnaires and
analyzed the results and made corrections on the questions that were not clear.

The questionnaires provide accurate data due to the process of pre-testing in the selected sample
to maintain validity.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Data analysis is an iterative process. Data analysis consists of three activities: Data reduction,
Data display, and Conclusion drawing/verification.
Data reduction, this process is applied to qualitative data and focus remains on selection,
simplification and transformation of data. In this continuous process the data is organized
throughout the research to draw and finalize a conclusion (Miles and Huber man, 1994). In this

40

research, the data was reduced from critical elements in implementation of E-learning to
students academic performance.
In data display the data is displayed in an organized form or the data has to be put into an order
to easily draw the conclusion.
Ethical Issues
Confidentiality: The participants were guaranteed that the identifying information will not be
made available to anyone who is not involved in the study and it will remain confidential for the
purposes it is intended for.
Permission: The researcher sought permission to carry out the research from the University
Informed consent: The prospective research participants were fully informed about the
procedures involved in the research and were asked to give their consent to participate.
Anonymity: The participant remained anonymous throughout the study and even to the
researchers themselves to guarantee privacy.

41

42

Data Analysis
1) Age When children used Cell Phones

5%
15%
2-4 Year

35%

4-6 Year
6-8 Year
8-10 Year

20%

10-12 Year
25%

2) Which technology is used Mostly

30%

30%

Facebook
Twitter
Video Game
Computer

5%
15%
20%

43

Mobile Phone

3) Type of Phone children Used:

9%

4%

Standard Phones
Smart Phones
Kid Phones

87%

4) How Many Texts children Send per Day:

2%
21%
None
1-50 Texts

45%

51- 100 Texts

100+ Texts
32%

44

5) How many children having their Own Computer:

10%

40%

2-5 Year

20%

5-8 Year
8-11 Year
11-13 Year

30%

6) How children Communicate:

7%
17%

Instant Messaging
Social Networking
58%

18%

45

Calling
Texting

7) How much time children spend on Facebook:

7%

7%

14%
I dont use Facebook
0-2 hours
3- 5 hours
5+ hours

72%

46

8) When is it appropriate for children to play portable video games while out to
dinner with family?

10%

40%

20%

2-5 Year
5-8 Year
8-11 Year
11-13 Year

30%

9) Do you believe children exposed to technology are more antisocial?

30%
Yes
No
70%

47

10) Used of technology is more beneficial as compared to children

30%
Children
Student
70%

Interpretation:-This survey is done among 100 students. Researcher asks the question about technology and
observed that student used technology is more beneficial than the children.

48

49

Conclusion
Follwing are the conclusion that the researcher found after the survey.

From the above analysis the researcher concludes that major respondents are
children.
Major respondents from all respondents use technology.
Effects of technology on both learning in a content area and learning to use
technology itself.
Major respondents using mobile phone to communicate with friends.
Major respondents are below 13 years and not having well knowledge of
technology but they are using it.

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51

Limitation of Study

52

Time consuming
Inaccurate feedback
More no of resources required
Quality of resources

Reference
Website:-

D.A. Gentile, 2004 Mobile Technology Keeps Track of Children

http://aztechbeat.com/2014/02/best-apps-gadgets-keep-track-kids/

week (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Keep Track of Your Kids

<
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444464304577538664194226588>

(Tompkins, 2003).Effects of Video Game

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/03/28/effects-video-games-childrens-brains/

http://www.essayforum.com/writing-3/effects-technology-children-negative-positive-53627/
http://mashable.com/2011/08/09/kids-tech-developmental-health/
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-technology-advances-12579.html
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/exposing-negative-effects-technology-kids-14909.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negativeimpact_b_3343245.html?ir=India
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-studies/how-technology-effects-children.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_gap_hypothesis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_gap

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