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Childhood in the digital age
Childhood in the digital age

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2 Are children and adults today really so different?

Some psychologists argue that if used well, technology can have an enormous significant, and perhaps substantial, positive impact on children’s brain development, as well as on their social, emotional and cognitive skills. How can we foster an optimal use of technologies for such benefits?

The key message emerging from a collection of studies has been that we need balance, to explore what the technology does, and to allow it to self-express the unique individuality of each child as well as connect them. The Erikson Institute has put together a suite of short videos explaining these aspects to parents and early childhood educators by experts in the area: Erikson Institute videos. [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]

Technology use raises an important question in this 24/7 digital universe: should parents be setting new rules for their children’s engagement with technology? Is it perhaps time to promote new parenting classes to help parents come to grips with the challenges of this modern age?