Youth + Technology = Bad thing?

[StickEGreenleaf]

While I was in class the other day my sociology professor said something interesting. He expressed the opinion, and many students agreed, that if parents give children computers at a young age, that it would lead to bad behavior. He was saying that with the wide variety of unwholesome activity on the net today would lead to the corruption of our youth. Then he began to say that technology in general might be a bad thing to give a child. He said, “What happens when you loading a child up with cable, a vcr, and a high speed computer in his room. Will this new technology have a bad effect on his future? Yes!”

He didn’t go into it much because class had ended, but I was wondering what you think.

I thought to a certain to degree, yes, the Internet and cable could cause problems for the development of a child. But I can see how it can be beneficial also. Suppose the parent not only gives the child the all this great technology, but also the guidance to show him/her what is acceptable. Despite the vast amount of pornography, and “faces of death” you run into on the computer there is still sites like Pcmech to advance their knowledge.

Then again one could say, because they’re individuals they will still explore on their own. My parents showed my sisters and me what I feel is the “pcmech of music.” The Beatles, Jimmi Hendrix, Billy Joel, all music with powerful knowledgeable lyrics (for the most part), but my sisters listen to the filthiest music. Rap music-exploiting women, promoting violence and deviant behavior as a way of life.

So what do you think? Is giving a child the newest greatest technology leading to the corruption of his youth? Would being monitoring and showing children what is acceptable/unacceptable not only help the child grow up right, but maybe the next Bill Gates.

Sorry so long, any other opinions I would like to hear

[bailey]

kids should not be turned loose without some supervision

[kstatefan40]

I don't know, it depends on who the child is. I listen to rap, uneditted usually, and am only 13. I have been playing with computers since i was 3, and i am fine. I realise that there is a time and a place to cuss and be fun, like around friends, but I also realise that there is a time/place to be business-like, like around customers, adults, and smaller children. If people realise those two things, they will be fine, but if not, its a totally different story.

[glc]

Behavior patterns are 100% attributable to the child's upbringing, not technology. If parents do not supervise, teach, and DISCIPLINE, then you get rotten kids. It's just like training a puppy.

[Strider]

To generally say Technology is bad for the young to me is dead wrong. While yes the Internet contains pornography and "Faces of Death" - it's not the technology but the people using the technology that is the problem. There are plenty of great sites (Such as PCMechanic) that broadens the mind, but there are also plenty of bad sites (That I won't mention). Violent Video games for example are not the problem, but in my opinion it's bad parenting. When I was growing up they were blaming cartoons (even Bugs Bunny cartoons) for corrupting the values of children, but now they have the INTERNET for the blaming. Who knows what the future brings?

[not important]

Just a new wine in the same old bottle. Whatever is new is "destroying our youth". Parents need to know what there children are doing and guide them, hopefully with some understanding of whatever it may be. It's called "parenting"

[raftero]

i see nothing wrong with computers,or any technology for that matter(supervised) being available to us old or young childeren,but all of us should develope a life outside of technology,encourage young folks in other activities,be it athletics,music,drama,WORK,or whatever to round out our lives.i think it's great for younguns to be computer geeks!!

[DarkHorse]

In the OptOut/Spyware section of grc.com, I found this great quote by Steve Gibson. I have since lost it, so this is a paraphrase, but it's pretty close...

Technology is morally neutral. It is the people who abuse the technology that turn it into a bad thing.

You might have heard of a chemical called TNT. It was discovered by accident, and once its constructive potential was realized it was used to clear paths through mountains. People being what they are, however, they decided to use it against their enemies in the form of now-familiar explosive weapons.

I have been using computers probably since I was six. Back then my dad knew all about them, and gave me the "values" I should have with them - no food near them, handle disks with care, don't get mad at it (that one's really useful!)... that I still use, in modified form, today.

As I got older, new technology got developed, and my dad couldn't keep up, while I had my youth to help me learn. Situations came up that my dad had not (and could not) prepare me for, and did not know how to counteract. Even with the high level of supervision my parents used, I was still able to do some amoral things. Luckily, they were still able to indoctrinate me such that I found my way out of it.

I believe this cycle will happen continuously. New technology will be created, adults will not be able to understand the technology well enough to completely teach their children its proper moral use, and children without these guidelines will behave like any person given power without responsibility.

It is therefore understandable why people blame technology for corrupting their children. It merely shows that they do not understand it sufficiently well enough to guide their children with its use - they aren't bad parents, just ignorant of technology.

The day will come where some fantastic new technology, the next generation's internet, is released and we will be unprepared to deal with our children using it. While those here at the 'Mech will probably be alright, countless others won't. Meanwhile, those others grew up with the Internet, and will understand it sufficiently well to prevent their children from doing the exact same things they did as kids. Experience allows guidance.

To close this incredibly long, very boring, and entirely unnecessary post, consider the automobile. Parents don't let their young kids drive because it requires responsible adult behavior, that which kids cannot provide. Presume then that cars are new, and some people let their kids mess around with them and some people get hurt as a result. Are cars a corrupting influence on children?

DarkHorse

[mbossman2]

technology is a tool. how you use the tool (or allow it to be used) is the defining factor.

blaming the corruption of youth on technology is like blaming a hammer, screwdriver, nail file or any other tool. it does not pass the test of reasonableness (something a lot of white tower academics seem to miss).

[avx]

Yep, just like any tool, technology can be used for good and evil.

Some people you can give a hammer, and they will build a house, others will beat someone's head in with it.

[Force Flow]

Yep, just like any tool, technology can be used for good and evil. Some people you can give a hammer, and they will build a house, others will beat someone's head in with it.

heh, that's one good way to put it

A moderate amount of exposure to technology is perfectly fine, but when you focus solely on one thing 24/7, that can't be to great of a thing of you. Too much of any one thing (ie TV, games) can hinder a person's development somewhat. Exposure to a multitude of different things keeps the mind active, unlike while just sticking to one individual activity.

[bigandy]

Like many others have said, it's not the technology that is ruining kids. There are so many other factors, the biggest of which is the parents. The world today is not like the one when my parents were kids. Today there are so many single parents or families in which both parents work and it is not possible for them to supervise their children all the time. My generation has been "on it's own" more than pretty much any previous generation has. That is where the individuals morals and maturity come into play. If you give a punk kid things like the internet and cable TV, of course he will abuse them. But if you give a good kid those same resources, he'll use them constuctively.

[Hi Ho]

I have seen some sad situations where parents encouraged there 8 year old son to start smoking. I have seen parents waisted away by drugs and alcohol. I have seen some bad stuff but I have never attributed it to technology. My parents won't let me have a computer in my room and I'm 16. I never get in trouble, I don't and never will do drugs, drink excessivly, or get myself killed doing some stupid thing to try and be "cool". My parents know how to raise children and they did a good job on me and my brother. I have been around computers since who knows when and they have not had a negative effect on me.

[Panama Red]

With much of today's business being heavily dependent on technology of all sorts, it would seem the teacher's perspective is off 180 degrees. The earlier that children can be exposed to the potential of advancing technology, the better chance they will have an opportunity to contribute to society as productive adults. As glc has said, it's not the technology, it's the parents and the training they give their children outside of technology. Discipline has been all too often replaced with parents feeling guilty for disciplining their child and instead striving to be accepted as their child's Friend. Kids need responsible adults to look up to. The best line I learned years ago, "What you do speaks so loudly, I am unable to hear what you say". Teachers should concentrate on raising the esteem of students by encouraging them to do more and learn as much as they can, not by continually pointing out the failures of our society. JMHO