There’s a lot of disagreement amongst professionals in regard to the effects of technology and teenager’s development and growth. A few regard technology as enhancing development of the intellect. Other people are concerned that technology might impair and over-stimulate functioning of the brain. An issue many researchers have not considered is that they’ve researched the impact of a specific technology instead of at the technological atmosphere in its entirety.
One may debate that taken as a whole, technologies like mobile phones, television and computers develop a digital culture which must be looked on as a whole instead of piece by piece. The question remains: What’s it like growing up within a highly technological world, and how will that vary from growing up in an earlier period? A portion of the answer will lie in the truth that the digital youngsters possess a bigger facility with technology than older adults or their parents. As a consequence, there’s a bigger disconnect in between children and parents nowadays, and a few adolescents even have less respect for the values, skills and knowledge of the older generation than they did one generation before.
Digital youth evidence additional worrisome characteristics, yet first, let us explore the culture itself. It’s absolutely a speed-dominated culture—quick and getting quicker. On the Internet, we grow impatient if it takes over one second to obtain a response from a website hundreds of miles away.
Secondly, it’s a screen culture. Movie screens have been followed by television screens that became computer screens, and are now downsized to cell phone screens. Nowadays, younger individuals spend a massive part of their hours in front of a screen. Thirdly, it’s a data culture. Within their houses, youth currently possess as instant accessibility to data as do the more erudite scholars within the universe’s top libraries. Drama, history, literature, science and the arts all are at their fingertips.
Lastly, it’s a communication culture. The Web and mobile phones made communication with friends an immediate—and at all periods probable—connection.
Independence from adults and parents will mean more dependence upon friends for support, guidance and advice. The obtainability of mobile phones and instant accessibility to peers via instant messaging only exaggerated the trend and probably worsened the separation in between parents and their children.
Although they might be advanced concerning technology, they still appreciate a great story that’s told at their level. The success of the Harry Potter books will attest to this fact. And as most contemporary teenage adolescence are advanced users of every form of technology, they stay as naive as prior generations concerning the human condition.
Younger individuals nowadays, as with the ones of earlier generations, harbour mythical thoughts concerning sexual behavior; most remain believing you’ll not become pregnant if you do it while standing. For every one of those purposes, it’s more incumbent than ever for parents to continuously reach out as well as connect with their kids. The young still want, as well as need the guidance, support and love of their parents. Even digital adolescents and children need hugs.
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Adolescents and the importance of Boundaries with Teenagers
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The Importance of Father Love for Emotionally Healthy Teenage Girls
If you are concerned about your adolescent or teen and the impact of technology on them, you may wish to speak with a professional adolescent counsellor or psychologist. Australia Counselling has counsellors and psychologists in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Visit our adolscent counselling page or family issues page to search for a counsellor in your local area.
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