How Technology is Killing the Heart of Humanity for Our Children
When I reflect on my childhood growing up in the 80s, I realize that the world was a different place and pace. My friends and I are among the last generation who have experienced life without all the technology and social media forces that have influenced us today and aided in the destruction of the heart of humanity.
Picture me, a 9-year-old kid riding my bike around with my sister for hours around our neighborhood. We go from street to street, meeting up with other neighborhood kids and asking them if they want to come riding with us or dropping our bikes on the side of the road to play tag in the middle of an empty field.
Imagine all of us kids filling up our water guns and water balloons in the summer heat for a mid-afternoon water fight that even got the adults who were kids at heart joining in on the fun. Back then, our only true way of staying connected was to be physically present in each other’s lives.
Yes, we had a landline, but if you were like me at 9 years old, the telephone was off limits for holding long conversations with friends, nor did we really want to be in the house anyway. Our freedom was out in the world, connecting, bonding, and exploring with each other.
Today, the sad reality is that many of our children do not have this sense of connection and bonding and will never know it because technology has changed how their minds are wired. Kids today will inherit a world full of technology through no fault of their own. Still, as adults who did not, we have so much power to influence and instill that which was instilled in us. Instead, the persuasiveness of technology, with its fulfillments of accessibility, ease, and convenience, has caused us to no longer stand firm in giving our kids the very foundations that rooted us as children.
Simple water gun fights are now replaced with Call of Duty, and activities like playing tag or board games are replaced by tablets and computers. So what does this mean? Our children are losing the natural ability to form genuine connections with others and develop invaluable social skills that are imperative to the heart of humanity.
Now, I am not discounting the fact that the world was definitely a less scary place than it is now, and we were not worried about things like being abducted. In fact, my parents felt safer letting us kids roam around on our own because there used to be such a real sense of community where everyone looked out for one another and their children. When that sense of security was uprooted from many communities, it became the defining moment where technology began solidifying its permanent place in our homes and future.
A more watchful eye as children played was no longer enough, and some parents, out of fear, started restricting children from some of these social activities in hopes of keeping them safe. In turn, with kids home more and unable to physically interact with others as frequently, parents looked for easy ways to keep their children entertained, and the push towards technology happened.
Many advances in technology, including online games and streaming content, enable children to engage more in solitary tasks that don’t often give them opportunities to develop crucial skills such as reading social cues and body language, using common decencies and manners, or learning how to carry on a conversation using the right tones or inflections. Social media platforms have also given our children opportunities to hide behind fake profiles or anonymous posts that allow them to feel untouchable and as though they have a pass to say hurtful things and bully each other without fear of consequence.
Don’t get me wrong. It is incredible to see how far we have come with technological advancements and how they have ushered kids into new, exciting worlds that would not have been possible without them. But has our dependency on technology killed the heart of humanity as we know it? Ask yourself, what happens to these children? Sadly, these children become adults who enter the world unprepared with the skills they need to build authentic connections and exhibit the kindness, empathy, and compassion often associated with humanity.
As we all know, technology is an integral part of our lives, but we also want our children to grow up with a positive sense of humanity that guides them. So, what can we do as a community to ensure kids today have the best of both worlds?