Zone’in Workshops

I was recently asked by one of our readers whether technology use interfered with the development of interpersonal skills in children, in particular, the way in which they act and react to others in the areas of civility and empathy. She was concerned that parents might be misled by recent research showing that while videogames might improve child problem solving skill, this skill may come at the price of increased aggression, often in the form of bullying. Civility is defined as “politeness” and valuing the esteem of another. Empathy is defined as understanding and being able to share the feelings of another. Bullying is defined as intent to hurt or intimidate another, and often involves aggression or violent actions. This article explores how child technology use might be a limiting factor in the development of civility and empathy in children.  Research presented on the impact of violent media on child aggression will shed light on the need for, and efficacy of technology reduction programs to address bullying in our homes, schools and communities.

Our Inner Ape by Frans de Waal states “Empathy stems from the recognition and imitation of facial expression, body language and tone of voice”. As the development of civility and empathy both require personal interactions with others, one might wonder how children can value or care for one another if they don’t interact with them. So, a simple answer to my reader’s question “Does technology interfere with the development of civility and empathy?” would be a resounding “Yes”! Children who engage in excessive screen time will have difficulty developing civility and empathy, as they are limited in achieving adequate personal interaction with their peers. A more in depth answer would need to consider the many parameters regarding technology overuse by children, such as, what type of technology, how often is it used, how long is it used, how violent is it, how old is the child, and is the child using this type of technology in isolation or with friends. One might think that children playing videogames together are interacting personally, yet in recent film footage shot by Robbie Cooper of children playing videogames (see www.robbiecooper.org Simulations – Immersions) this does not appear to be the case. Whether there are other children in the room or not, playing videogames appears to ultimately be an activity of isolation, and does appear to limit the development of civility and empathy.

Dr. David Birkham from the Boston Children’s Hospital Center for Media Research reports the higher the exposure and intensity to media violence, the more likely the child is to develop bullying behavior, and even become incarcerated upon adulthood. While there is an overwhelming body of evidence that links violent videogames to increased aggression in children, a 2008 study by Craig A. Anderson et al with Iowa State University’s Center for the Study of Violence showed specific increases in aggression traits of school fights and identification by a teacher or peer as being aggressive. The study goes on to report that “In the short-term media violence increases aggression by priming aggressive thoughts and decision processes, increasing physiological arousal, and triggering a tendency to imitate observed behaviors. In the long-term, repeated exposure can produce lasting increases in aggressive thought patterns and aggression-supporting beliefs about social behavior, and can reduce individuals normal negative emotional responses to violence.” It appears then that violent media does turn children into bullies, necessitating a technology reduction component in all bullying prevention and treatment programs.

A second 2008 comprehensive study by researchers from the National Institute of Health and Yale University analyzed 173 research efforts on the impact of technology on children and found that 80% showed a link between media hours or content with negative health outcomes such as obesity, tobacco use, sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, low academic achievement and incidence of ADHD. Research co-author Cary P. Gross states “We need to realize that children are sponges, learning from their environment” and that “Children pick up character traits and behaviors from what they watch and hear.” In order to address prevention of children emulating violent videogame characters, civility and empathy training are also integral components for bullying prevention and treatment programs. Civility and empathy training not only improve the psychological well being of the individual, but also are important for development of conflict resolution with others. Personal interaction time with others is necessary in order to resolve conflict, and is therefore another justification for initiating technology reduction programs. When considering existing levels of global and domestic violence, imagine a world where individuals are unable to resolve conflict. Safety would be a rarity, and schools, homes and communities would need to become heavily guarded and patrolled. Add the current state of world conflict to the ramifications of a future generation of violent videogame addicts, and we have a very scary situation indeed.

Cris Rowan is a pediatric occupational therapist and CEO of Zone’in Programs Inc. www.zonein.ca, offering products, workshops, training, and policy initiatives to reverse the impact of technology on the developing child. Cris has created the following programs to help “reduce the use” of technology, and help to get our children back on the right track:

• Unplug’in Game to help children build performance skills in four dimensions of self, others, nature and spirit so they can unplug themselves from technology.
• Technology Reduction Module for schools and homes provides everything needed to foster classroom and family technology use reduction.
• Mixed Signals Workshop for parents, teachers and health professionals provides researched based information on the detrimental effects of technology on child development, and performance in home and school settings.
• Unplug – Don’t Drug Policy Initiative advocates for a three month family unplug from technology trial prior to prescription of psychotropic medication of child behaviour.
• Creating Sustainable Futures Program is a comprehensive school and community based program to improve child health.
• Linking Corporations to Communities Initiative requests technology and pharmaceutical corporation involvement in achieving CSFP child health initiatives.