Are Kids Losing Innocence In Information Overload Age ?

Reams have been written about the innocence of children but now-a-days as you gaze into the eyes of a child, what you see reflected in them is that the babe is sizing you up.

During earlier times, when technology was less advanced and sources of information rare, kids used to begin by learning from their parents, from teachers next and, as they grew older, from fellow children and friends.

Technological advancement has made the flow of information faster. Televisions, video games and mobile phones have entered every bedroom. Children spend more and more time watching TV. You can see even small children talking to their friends on the phone. We often hear of the debates being held on the effect of technology on the innocence of a child. The older generation would emphasize on selective teachings to the child to make his learning process healthier and enable him to retain his innocence.

Negative effects on kids

If we start looking at the disadvantages of advanced technology on the initial life of the child, we will find that:

• Children have become very competitive, resulting in ever increasing desire to surpass others. Parents too press them to be toppers in class. They want to be involved in all types of activities like studies, sports, dance or music. They have one question or the other in mind and want clarification on all issues. This has made them grow faster and they mature at an early age, thus interfering with their innocence during childhood.

• Exposure to technology has made children lonely. They are increasingly involved in books and other learning media. During free time they tend to be glued to the TV, leaving them with no time for swimming and other outdoor activities necessary for their long term health.

• The worst part of advancement of information on the innocence of the child is exposure to the material considered prohibited for him. With TV sets and internet available in each household, children get an easy access to the material not suitable for them like pre teen kids watching sex scenes. Movies running on TV sets show explicit kissing and sex scenes. These have an adverse effect on the kids in their tender age. Once they watch such scenes, they have the added desire to see more and they start searching the internet for material. They are shy of discussing sex with parents and elders, thus developing wrong notions which are more harmful for their innocence. Parents also do not initiate such discussions easily. This is the greatest spoiler of innocence of pre teen kids.

Some favorable facts

However, it is not true that information overloaded age has played only a spoiler for the kids. Researchers argue that it can be turned into an advantage for today’s children and can be a boon in the following manner:

• Availability of more and more information has made life comfortable for the people of this age. These days children achieve a level of expertise much earlier than the people of the older generation would achieve.

• These days children grow faster both mentally and physically. They know about themselves and are aware of the world around them much more than the people of an earlier generation.

• The way the children used to have fun has changed. Earlier kids used to indulge in a lot of outdoor activities. These days they are restricted to their study room and search for information on the net which is a source of entertainment for them. They compensate for the lack of outdoor activities by indulging in them during school time. Almost all schools are now laying more emphasis on outdoor activities.

Thus it will not be correct to say that overloading of information has made kids lose innocence. This is a two ended sword. They still enjoy life and probably in certain respect more as compared to the earlier generations. In spite of a lot of struggle and competition the kids grow up well. During early childhood a lot of effort is required from the parents to guide the child properly on to the right track. Once this is achieved he will definitely grow up into a healthy and disciplined youth.