How Technology Impacts Children

Sara DeWitt, a children's media expert, introduces her talk on screen time by telling her audience about some of the well known statistics surrounding phones, such as how it's often the first thing adults look at in the morning, and how they'll look at it at least 50 more times over the course of a day.

She continues by asking her audience how they'd feel about a phone being placed in the hands of a three year old -- an idea that generates a lot of worry among parents. DeWitt challenges this idea by asking her audience to imagine a world where people are excited to see preschoolers interacting with their screens -- due to the data that they offer and the educational opportunities that are to be had through these mediums. Although many believe that too much exposure to technology can lead to social and learning issues down the road, DeWitt states that this fear and skepticism can prevent the positive impact of screen time from being understood.

She continues by going over some of the most common fears surrounding children and screen time, such as the promotion of passive learning, the idea playing digital games is a waste of time, and the idea that it isolates parents from their children. DeWitt considers each of these fears in comparison with real examples that refute them, showing her audience that the evolution of media can increase interest in learning, test results, and even social interactions. With this, she inspires her audience to consider the opportunities that technology brings to children, rather than living in fear of its inevitable progression.