As time passes, the use of technology grows and develops into more accessible devices for children and teenagers. Since these electronics are more handy, they are seen more often.  The excessive use of technology by children at a young age inside and outside of the classroom leads to have harmful effects on the child’s physical and mental development. Technology plays a major role in every person’s life and impacts each person differently. The most important impact that electronics make is the negative effects on children. Children’s minds and eyes are more sensitive than any other person, making them easier to alternate at a young state. The mental development of a child is very important and needs to be protected until all skills are stable. The vision of a child also needs to be highly prioritized in case of a long-term vision loss. Teachers and parents are held responsible for the amount of screen-time allowed to a child. This gives a reason as to why they need to be most concerned. Children have no control over the temptations of these electronic devices especially if they grow up with it constantly around, therefore they do not know any better. The undesirable side effects of the overuse of technology includes many mental, developmental, and physical disabilities.

The development of technology over the years has drastically improved. Society has grown from massive computers the size of cars to miniature devices capable of being held in the palm of your hand. Due to the evolution of technology over time, the use has become an increased habit. Now everything that is needed is at the fingertips of many. Not only is technology more accessible to an individual but has also spread into the classrooms of many young children. Electronics are not the only thing developing but so is the way of teaching. Combining these two components leads to the idea that technology in the classroom can either cause serious damage to the young children withholding these electronics, or it can introduce an easy system for one’s education (Nepal). For example, the black chalk boards then became the famous dry erase white board which then influenced the projector which only evolved more into the now called Smartboard. Since knowledge is passed from generation to generation, it has not changed as much as the devices used to express it (Nepal). Therefore, students learn to rely on this sort of technology to teach them. Parents who did not grow up with the technology that children obtain today hold a strong opinion on the situation. These parents are concerned with not only the effects of the development of their child but also the distraction this technology can cause in the classroom (Radesky). Parents do not know how to handle this technology as it is only growing around them and their child. Children may be the main concern, for they are the ones still developing, but this subject may also include students in high school and above. The children who grew up with this use of technology are accommodated to it in a way that they don’t know how to go without it. As an example, laptops allow for these students to zone out in important lectures which impacts not only their concentration, but also their comprehension. Schools have even gone to the extent that each student has their own personal iPad used for their schoolwork in class. The evolution of these certain pieces of technology only flourishes. 

The development of a young child’s brain is very important. What a child sees and experiences in his or her first couple of months of life impacts more than people believe. Parents become too busy and do their best to distract their child with the use of electronics. Toddlers who are placed in front of a digital device such as an iPad or television for long periods of time start to get accustomed to this way of learning. Toddlers are capable of interpreting what is being flashed in front of them only if the context is interactive (Guernsey). Although this point may seem as though technology is helpful, it actually creates a negative impact on this child’s brain. Study shows that children and toddlers learn from conversation and personal interaction. The decrease in this kind of interaction puts a damper on the development of other skills such as the motor and sensory (Rowan). Children start to see technology as a form of play therefore creating an imbalance in the development of important challenges and imagination (Rowan). This impacts the child’s way of social interaction and communication skills because they are only understanding the world around them through screens. 

As children grow with the excessive use of technology, they never seem to want to put them down. The overuse of technology not only effects the way the brain grows but also its chemical imbalance such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, and sleep disorders. (Rowan). Depression and anxiety is a main component of the use of cellphones and iPads before bedtime. Parents either allow for their child to play a game or watch a movie before they fall asleep exposing their child to the devices harmful blue light. If this is a constant thing, over time this blue light can create a long-term problem. This blue light does not only effect children but anyone who uses a device before sleeping.  Blue light has proven to disrupt a person’s sleep cycle and mental stability by diminishing the amount of melatonin in a person’s brain. Melatonin is the hormone in the brain that manages when a person starts to get sleepy or needs to wake up. The reason this happens is because blue light is not only exposed through phones, but it is also emitted through sunlight during the day, therefore people are exposed to it constantly. Blue light emitted right before bedtime confuses the brain into thinking it is still daytime, making the brain withdrawal melatonin. A study was made to prove that the use of technology and the exposure to blue light for at least 2 hours reduced the amount of melatonin by about 22 percent (O’Connor). The decrease in melatonin in someone’s brain conducts a lack of sleep and generates more chemical imbalances causing a possible mental disorder. These disorders such as ADHD also creates a difficult learning state for both the teachers and children in a classroom. ADHD is a major distraction not only for the teacher to keep track of but also for the child himself. If a child is incapable of staying focused, this child will not succeed. Blue light not only effects the mental state but can also show an increase in obesity, diabetes, and other disorders (O’Connor).

Along with the concerning disorders and the possible disruption of class, another possible outcome is vision loss. Direct exposure to blue light damages the retina in the eyes, also known as “macular degeneration” (Loria). Since our eyes are exposed to blue light constantly and operated unnecessarily close, the eyes work harder leading to eyestrain. Eyestrain is a slight fatigue of the eye. Overtime your eyes begin to become lazy from working too hard and stop focusing as accurately as they did originally. Another study, still under investigation, has proven that people that use electronics from an early stage are more prone to cataracts at a younger age. For young children, this should be a main concern as these devices only seem to get smaller making it harder for eyes to adjust. If a child is exposed to this early on, overtime it can just get worse which introduces actual vision loss.  Eyestrain effects the child’s vision in a way of being incapable of seeing the board in the classroom. 

When it comes to vision loss in the classroom, students cannot see the board, which is known as nearsighted, or suffer from farsightedness and are unable to read the text in their books. Effects of vision loss steers to having a difficult time keeping up with his or her work. When students start to perform poorly in school, they start to believe they are not good enough, also contributing to possible depression. A child’s vision not only is important because it is a necessity but it can reflect onto the child’s self-image. There are other minor issues as children don’t like to wear glasses, which also effects their self-image. Many challenges that are faced as a child go untreated and are normally a root from vision (Warshowsky). Visual therapy is offered to children who suffer from this condition and are determined to become their true self. If a child has difficulty with vision it is usually due to the fact their eyes have a difficulty focusing from their desks to the board or vice versa, which may cause them to lag. If a child who’s eyes have difficulty focusing, they will end up paying more attention to trying to read the words on a page rather than actually comprehending what is being read (Warshowsky). When parents at home don’t monitor their child’s screen-time beginning at a young age, the screens negative effects can accumulate over the years before school then leading children to be unprepared. 

When it comes to the development of a child, it is very important to take the most precautions during the youngest ages. When the world around can not go without the harmful electronics, the issue needs to be addressed and action taken upon it. A child’s developing mind and sensitive eyes deserve the appropriate attention to keep them strong and healthy. When loss of vision can even effect self-image and lead to depression, it should be a major concern. The amount of screen time for a child needs to be monitored by both teachers and parents to minimize its effects. Although there are some instances where technology can help a child learn, it should not be the only way a child learns. As technology evolves it’ll become more accessible therefore opening a new chapter into eye and brain safety.  Electronics inside and outside of the classroom need to be closely monitored to reduce the mental and physical effects on a young child’s body. 
