As per UC Los Angeles, while children are using their electronic devices more and more often, they have less in person, face to face conversations, leading to a decline in their ability to read the unspoken emotion of the face. This idea was tested in a UCLA study performed with two groups of children, one who did not use electronics for 5 days, and the other who used electronic devices for all 5 of those days. These students were tested before and after the experiment on their ability to read an emotion by watching videos of actors portraying different feelings, and still photos of the common faces. After the 5 days, the children who did not use phones, tablets, or anything of that nature had a greater ability to read emotions. “Many people are looking at the benefits of digital media in education, and not many are looking at the costs,” remarked a teacher at UCLA. If kids are not allowed any “device-free time”, they might not ever establish these social necessities in the first place (UC Los Angeles, 2014).
In health class, Coach Beatty was talking about how children were losing the ability to read human emotion because of the use of electronics. I did not believe him, but after reading this article, I am a strong believer if the idea. I have seen children who get an iPhone at the age of 5 and only seek enjoyment from an app, but I always thought the only consequence was that they will not make friends. Now I can see not only will the be secluded, but they will not be able to understand unspoken emotion. I wish that the author had been more specific on why and how it effects children, but I still enjoyed the reading. If the amount of electronics used in children is on the rise, I wonder if the idea of reading emotions will be extinct in a few generations.
University of California - Los Angeles. (2014, August 22). In our digital world, are
In health class, Coach Beatty was talking about how children were losing the ability to read human emotion because of the use of electronics. I did not believe him, but after reading this article, I am a strong believer if the idea. I have seen children who get an iPhone at the age of 5 and only seek enjoyment from an app, but I always thought the only consequence was that they will not make friends. Now I can see not only will the be secluded, but they will not be able to understand unspoken emotion. I wish that the author had been more specific on why and how it effects children, but I still enjoyed the reading. If the amount of electronics used in children is on the rise, I wonder if the idea of reading emotions will be extinct in a few generations.
University of California - Los Angeles. (2014, August 22). In our digital world, are
young people losing the ability to read emotions?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved
September 8, 2014 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140822094240.htm
Totally scary! I have young kids (8 and 4) and am always trying to create a healthy balance of technology and "real" life for them. It is hard! Thanks for the thoughtful reflection on this topic.
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