It’s not a new fact that technology continues to become more advanced as each day begins.  As companies, such as Apple release new devices like the IPhone X, and Nintendo produces a successful console in which gamers can take their games from the family room TV to the store as their parents run errands, children are more likely in public to seen interacting with a device than another human.  It’s time we begin to analyze an issue that will affect society as we know it in the future; how the lack of human interactions due to increasing usage of technology will negatively affect future society.

As an older brother, I get annoyed with almost anything my sister does.  As I grow older however, I have begun to recognize a large problem in our growing society.  That inability for children to be separated from devices.  Whether it’s at the dinner table, on a car ride, with family, or just bored around the house, it appears children become occupied with these devices, and seem almost reliant on it.  

As a think about the times when I was a kid, not long ago really, I think about the outside activities I participated in with friends.  Stick fights, neighborhood bike rides, trips to the park right next to the library, and so much more that lasted until the streetlights came on at night.  Now my neighborhood street is empty, and not because there’s a lack of children that live in it.  I can assume, that because of the growing dependence on technology, children don’t exactly participate in the outdoors the same way I did as a child.  

When observing my sister, I begin to wonder about the societal influences that these devices will have on my sister and children alike.  Because of the increase of time spent interacting with these devices, how will they interact with actual human beings in person?  How much will communication be affected by the changing interactions, and how will behavior change as well?  Will parenting soon take a backseat to these devices as parents are more likely to take the “as long as they’re happy” approach?

Society is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another” (Merriam-Webster).  One part of this definition that is emboldened to me is that these relationships must occur through interactions.  Social interactions occur in many ways, especially as technology advances.  There’s face-to-face interactions, phone calls, texting, video chatting, letter writing, etc.  Society used to be dictated by gatherings, allowing for one another to converse and enjoy each other’s company.  Nowadays, many conversations happen over phone, whether being calls or texting.  Whether this can be known to bring people that are distanced together, it can also be said that those close by use these methods of communication to avoid physical interactions.  Children nowadays are using these very same methods for these reasons as well.  

Despite the societal issues associated with excessive usage of devices by young children, there are many psychological benefits due to new education methods.  Schools have been working to integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) into learning curriculums.  Due to these new focuses, many school systems have worked to use devices such as IPads and Google Chromebooks into classroom lessons.  In an article written by Benjamin Harold, the author states that “schools purchased more than 23 million devices for classroom use in 2013 and 2014 alone” using them partly for the purpose of “helping students to become technologically skilled and literate and thus better prepared for modern workplaces” (Harold) Learning through device usage is said to have very beneficial effects when used correctly in classroom environments.  A study published in 2017 by Dina Di Giacomo, Jessica Ranieri, and Pilar Lacasa explains a study conducted primarily in Italian Schools.  The study uses eight separate standardized tests that test cognitive abilities.  These tests for completed by two separate groups divided by the amount of usage of personal devices.  It was said that there was an increase in test scores by the group with a high use of device usage compared to the group whose device usage was considered low.  The direct conclusion was that “Children with high level have better performance in cognitive ability of language (naming and semantic skills) and visual (planning of the logical reasoning and visual memory)” (Di Giacomo, Ranieri, Lacasa). 

Despite the educational advantages argued, it can be argued that the disadvantages of device usage by young children outweigh the possible advantages.  Blogger Cris Rowan of Huffington Post cites experiences of childhood interactions as she discusses the possible effects due to excessive usage of technology by young children.  Nowadays, the TV is expressed as the primary motive for family’s time together instead of dinner table talks, using the statistic generated by a Kaiser Foundation study that 50% of families leave the TV on all day.  The author discusses the different developing areas that are delayed due to the increased use of devices, and the different mental disabilities that are correlated with such activities.  Most notably, the physical issues correlating between the amount of time watching television with diabetes and obesity are noted while the physical isolation from people due to interactions of cellphones cause mental issues.  The issues discussed due to such devices correlate with diseases such as ADHD, Autism, and even Addiction.  Addiction is an issue that catches my eye, as I previously discussed experiences with my own sister.  When denied permission to a device, a mental “meltdown” occurs.  Behavior is negatively affected by the inability not to use these devices, which could amplify as accessibility to personal devices increase.  

Both arguments make important cases to the effect that technology has on children.  Even though technology is a proven tool for the classroom, usage of these devices outside of a classroom environment could lead to a number of physical and mental issues.  

As discussed earlier, society is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another”.  As time progresses, variations of how humans interact with each other increase, thus changing society altogether.  

Dating back to 1740, the importance of the press influenced American society.  In the essay written by Steven Carl Smith.  During the Revolution, the press allowed for American Society to be influenced during pressing issues of the time.  This called for the importance of literacy, expressing that by 1840’s, “most Americans had learned how to read and write, no doubt thanks to libraries…” (Smith).  The way that Americans had been influenced and caught up with worldly events was through press.

Looking towards present day, the media still has an influence on society.  Currently influenced by Social Media Networks, many across the world rely on personal devices in order to stay in touch and interact with one another.  While this may be seen as a benefit, new issues such as cyber bullying and sexual addictions due to easily accessible pornography on the internet have arose.  A study shows that children as young as ages 8 to 9 are being exposed to pornography (Ross).  The advancement of technology has effected society from changing from a society that relied on face-to-face interactions to the privilege of being able to contact anyone needed just using thumbs.  

How will the decrease of human interactions affect society long term?  Using Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory which discusses how children are shaped by the cultural and society surrounding them, it reflects on the many examples of media used by young children and teens.  The authors concluded that even though these sources of media allow children to gain skills crucial when using technology and learn everyday/academic concepts, the time using technology instead of interacting with reality causes more concerns than positive outcomes in the long run (Wartella, Beaudoin-Ryan, Blackwell, Cingel, Hurwitz, Lauricella).  

The advancements of technology dating back from uses of paper press in 1740 to current advancements in personal electrical devices have affected society and will continue to do so for the rest of eternity.  Technology has been argued to increase cognitive ability, assisting children in educational settings.  However, using Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory along with concerns of addiction by young children, it is hard not to view the negative impacts that come with the increasing accessibility of personal devices.  This leads me to believe that face-to-face interactions will become obsolete, maybe dissolving personal relationships altogether.  It’s important to regulate the usage of devices with young children, and could affect the condition of mankind as we know it.  

 