Keys to raise children’s awareness of the use of new technologies

With the popularization of smartphones and tablets, it is necessary to accompany their use with education.

We worry about being late for work, but when we have been walking for ten minutes and we are about to get to the subway station, we forget that we have left our cell phone at the entrance of our house and we have to go back, even if this means that we are going to be late for work.

In spite of this, we go back for the cell phone, because we are not able to separate ourselves from this object in a whole morning. When you finally arrive at the stop, you enter the subway car and feel that no one is looking at you because all the passengers are crestfallen. Children, teenagers, adults... no matter the age, everyone is looking at an electronic device..

Parents calming their children's tantrums through their cell phones or tablets, people talking on the phone, ears with headphones, people taking selfies with the famous selfies... It seems that we do not realize that we are losing a great part of our life, a vastness of details that pass in front of us and we are not able to perceive them because we are permanently fixing our attention on a screen that immerses us in a virtual reality, apparently similar to the real one, but far from being so. This context makes it necessary to make children aware of the proper use of new technologies..

The social networks: a niche of true or false friendships?

We believe we have hundreds and thousands of virtual friends, a concept that differs greatly from that of "lifelong friend". A friend is the person with whom you share your time walking, playing sports, visiting countless places, having a drink in a bar, talking in a park... but not the one who likes one of your photos. Social networks, contrary to what we believe, favor the deterioration of human relationships, as we relate to each other in a greater number of ways.We relate to a greater extent with these "virtual friends" than with face-to-face people.

Parents make use of these technologies and make them available to their children when they are only a few years old. It is not unusual to see how two-year-old children handle their own tablets better than many adults. The problem is that if a child who has certain difficulties to relate, from an early age is allowed to be exposed to a large number of hours to new technologies, instead of helping him to develop his skills, he will be exposed to new technologies, instead of helping them to develop their social skillswe will be contributing to the development of a possible future internet addiction.

It is essential to dedicate time to our children from an early age and encourage the development of social skills by going down to the park, favoring face-to-face relationships, playing cooperative games and, most importantly, knowing how to set limits to the hours of exposure to these new technologies.

Children crave a cell phone at a younger and younger age, but what they don't know is how much they are going to miss out on by incorporating this device into their lives. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that excessive use of electronic devices such as computers, tablets or cell phones can produce alterations such as sleep disorders, aggressiveness and difficulties in language development.

Risks of misuse of new technologies in childhood.

It is clear that new technologies have introduced numerous advances in communication, industry, commerce and, very importantly, medicine, but we must not forget the risks that can arise from their irresponsible use.

The disadvantages of new technologies arise when they are misused. In recent years we have heard of terms such as cyberbullying or cyberharassment, grooming, carding, phishing or pharming. Well, for those who do not know them, these are crimes committed by means of new technologiesThey are often used as a means of insulting, threatening, harassing or defrauding other people.

We are often unaware of the danger of social networks in society, and even more so in the lives of children. We share everything we do, where we are, where we come from and where we are going, and this carries an enormous risk.

It is important to We need to be aware that something that was created to make our lives easier, can complicate them.. We dedicate many hours of our day to social networks and, what is it good for? We go to a concert and all we think about is recording the artist so we can share it online, we meet our idol on the street and instead of exchanging a few words with him or her, we just take a picture and share it on Instagram. Do the experiment, approach a group of friends in a bar, and see if any of them don't have their cell phone on the table or are using it. But is that really what we mean by enjoyment? Let's stop and think and make others think.

Finally, I would like to recommend a short film that magnificently reflects the above concern.