What negative effects does technology have on the brain? By Ronna Glickman.
Your child’s brain is still forming. When gaming many hours a day, the brain matter actually changes over time. Google CT scans/before and after gaming for long periods of time. Share this information with your child.
As a child grows, the child needs many different stimuli in their world. They need to be outside, be physically active, read, learn a life skill such as cooking or doing laundry, play a board game, build with toys. They also need to learn how to have a conversation with another person. And, it’s ok if kids are bored. The down time is usually a time when kids get creative.
Another negative effect is the dopamine. Video games and social media sites were designed to keep one hooked. The longer a child plays a game, the harder it is to become unaddicted. Their brains will crave more and more of the dopamine.
If you have ever watched a child (even a baby) have their device taken away, it’s not a pretty site. The brain changes so much that the child is combative physically and with words. Think of trying to take away a drink from an alcoholic, a cigarette from a smoker or heroin away from an addict, Gaming and social media, for long periods of time have the same effect. Your child should not be gaming more than an hour a day. Some games are designed that if you leave the game, you have let your ‘tribe’ down. Because of you leaving, an entire group loses. Although a child has never met the other players, it is difficult to let them down.
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