Is the internet and technology good for kids' development?

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Do you think it's a good thing the internet came about... for kids in particular?
And technology in general?

I think it's a good way to keep kids occupied, but often times it's sadly used as an alternative to proper parenting.
It goes without saying, however, that this can save money on people to interact with their child for those who can't afford such.

What are your thoughts? Do you think kids' development is faster now or back in the day prior to tech?
 
I think it's a great tool to help teach kids. In moderation it's also a good way for kids to communicate with their friends too. I was growing up when the internet really started to take off, and the dot com was booming. I didn't have a computer at the time but my cousins did so I got online a few times but not too often.
 
I think it's a great tool to help teach kids.
100%. I'm different from the majority in the sense that I was incredibly motivated and disciplined during my school days; due to a processing difficulty I taught myself much of the material online. That way I could go at my own pace. I'd have failed badly if I didn't have access to the internet. I was constantly discouraged; I proved everyone wrong. A disability should never stand in your own. In fact, I think it brings out certain strengths.

it's also a good way for kids to communicate with their friends too.
100%! Back in the day I don't think it was as common for people to have anywhere near as many good friends as people tend to have nowadays. And that's just for real life friends; if we include online friends the friend count would be WAY higher!
 
If the internet is introduced in the right way, a child's experiences/exposure to the internet could accelerate their achievements in any academic skills so much faster then without the internet.
Yay!! It's rare that someone trusts kids to use the internet in the right way!! Nice to see that from ya, my friend :)
 
Yay!! It's rare that someone trusts kids to use the internet in the right way!! Nice to see that from ya, my friend :)

Indeed, TL. ;) The internet can be an amazing tool, if used in the right way with monitoring of course with small children. I would even go further to add that certain games can really spring board a child's reading and speech skills because they want to learn everything about the game. That's what Webkinz did in my house back in 2007 when a friend introduced us to the website. Serious acceleration in reading and writing from the exposure to this online game. It was amazing to watch the progress.
 
Indeed, TL. ;) The internet can be an amazing tool, if used in the right way with monitoring of course with small children. I would even go further to add that certain games can really spring board a child's reading and speech skills because they want to learn everything about the game.
Interesting you say that!
I remember as a kid I was obsessed with this game where you have to answer as many time-table questions as possible in a minute. I'v always been one for games that require intense focus. That definitely accelerated my learning! :cool:

What games do you refer to, if you can name them? :)

That's what Webkinz did in my house back in 2007 when a friend introduced us to the website. Serious acceleration in reading and writing from the exposure to this online game. It was amazing to watch the progress.
Oh wow! I never considered that - thanks for sharing :) Very true - I feel introducing kids to such games can definitely encourage a good balance between social interaction and video games. I hear that video games are great for co-ordination and sharpness too, and that can be important for certain careers.
 
Interesting you say that!
I remember as a kid I was obsessed with this game where you have to answer as many time-table questions as possible in a minute. I'v always been one for games that require intense focus. That definitely accelerated my learning! :cool:

What games do you refer to, if you can name them? :)


Oh wow! I never considered that - thanks for sharing :) Very true - I feel introducing kids to such games can definitely encourage a good balance between social interaction and video games. I hear that video games are great for co-ordination and sharpness too, and that can be important for certain careers.
....and adding to your comment about coordination, because of Mario Cart and other driving games, my dd is an excellent driver...lol:D Her reaction time is impeccable. :)
 
Fire has done more damage to mankind than anything else, yet fire is the most remarkable discovery of mankind. That's what I think about the Internet and technology. There are problems with excessive use of the internet but the internet can be used in a good way for kids' development.
Agreed, and well put :)
 
Parental guidance is very important when it comes to what you allow your kids access to. But the internet and the use of smartphone have even made it more difficult for parents to control what their kids source on the internet. Imagine, I saw a kid who shouldn't be more than 11 years old watching porn on her smartphone in the bus station.
 
I would say that the internet is good for a kid's development as long as it is used in the way it should be. Children should always be supervised when using the internet and they should be limited to how much internet they use as well.

With the internet being used so widely now in schools, it's important that children are able to use it at home and be taught right from wrong and how to use the internet.
 
Children should always be supervised when using the internet
What sort of supervision would you enforce if you had a child? Monitoring software? The parent being present in the same room while the child uses it? With access to proxies and all that, how would you prevent a child from circumventing monitoring/restrictions?
 
What sort of supervision would you enforce if you had a child? Monitoring software? The parent being present in the same room while the child uses it? With access to proxies and all that, how would you prevent a child from circumventing monitoring/restrictions?
Being a parent to four myself, I have been through this, and the internet becoming more popular over the years. Things such as having passwords on the devices that only I knew would help limit how much they were on the internet and also keeping an eye on history as well within the browser can ensure you know what your children are doing on the internet.

I also know that my ISP has settings within the router that allow me to be able to have child protection turned on so that certain websites can not be accessed at all. It can be so easy for a child to stumble on a website they should not even know exists.

I always ensure that computers and devices were in the room I was in so that I could keep an eye on them as well and I always told them if they feel something is not right on the computer, come and tell me. Schools do a lot of teaching as well when it comes to the internet and what they should be careful of which also helps a lot.
 
Being a parent to four myself, I have been through this, and the internet becoming more popular over the years. Things such as having passwords on the devices that only I knew would help limit how much they were on the internet and also keeping an eye on history as well within the browser can ensure you know what your children are doing on the internet.
Browsing history can be cleared easily. Are your kids tech-savvy? They may be more so than you'd assume.

I also know that my ISP has settings within the router that allow me to be able to have child protection turned on so that certain websites can not be accessed at all. It can be so easy for a child to stumble on a website they should not even know exists.
This can easily be bypassed via proxies/VPNs, so I'd ensure you block those too.
 
The internet can be such a great tool as far the learning process for the children in school is concerned. When handled properly, the internet can help the kids learn and catch up so quickly on the technology and the use of some very useful applications for learning.

However it can also run the morals and character of the children when used by the kids without the supervision by the teacher, guardian or parent.
 
The internet has never been a negative invention. It is the usage of it that has made it seem so. If the Internet can be deployed positively for a child, that child could break boundaries positively with the use of the Internet.
 
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