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How Technology Reduces Emotional..

June 14

How Technology Reduces Emotional Intelligence in Children

I can describe technology as a mechanism that disrupts your child's ability to be with thoughts and feelings and destroys the ability to adapt to others. These mechanisms include any device that disturbs children's senses against the world and the people, such as distant speakers, smartphones and laptops that distract children.

Recently, I've seen a family in a restaurant who look at their smartphone carefully. And I watched them as the dinner was eaten in plain silence. There were not any basic human interactions -thought, kindness, completely between people. Worse, parents acted in a phone-dependent manner by teaching their children this behavior.

The smartphone is not always worse according to its intended use. The smartphone can also be useful. It can help with the ability to leave a stressful environment. For example, listening to music and taking a break. There are also practices designed to increase attention and reduce concerns through guidance meditations or relaxation exercises.

The problem is that technology is not used effectively and to help our lives. As technology addiction grows, children travel the world in a balloon free of their own thoughts and feelings and the thoughts and feelings of others. While speaking skills and positive interactions disappear, technology begins to shake children's sense of humanity; they are less compassionate and understand others difficultly.

In his book, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Daniel Goleman describes emotional intelligence as the ability to define one's own feelings and the feelings of others. They have healthier relationships with higher-order Emotional Intelligence (EQ), better adapt to the environment, and are more capable of working towards their goals. Goleman identifies five key features that promote emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation.

What do all these qualities have in common? Visit your local nursery. you can be sure that many children do not have these features, especially during play times. In order to develop these qualities, teachers and parents endeavor to draw attention to and care for others. Thus, children develop emotional intelligence by better adapting to the world around them and the people living in it.

Let's see how technology addiction adversely affects the fundamentals of Emotional Intelligence (EQ):

1. Technology addiction Reduces Self Awareness.

More time with technology means less time with your own thoughts and feelings. As technological dependence increases, children live in a state of self-alienation, free of emotional aspects, making it impossible to recognize themselves. Instead of remarkable choices, they become more responsive and less reflective.

2. Self-regulation Becomes Weak

Research has shown that technology dependence increases impulsively. Children who cannot improve their ability to control themselves are emotionally immature and tend to be bullied.

3. Technology addiction reduces social skills.

Even when children play games with others online, such insincere relationships rarely lead to true friendships. In this way, technology tends to create dependence, isolation and persistence. The more technology is dominant, the less developed the society.

4. Technology addiction reduces empathy.

When the screen element replaces family or friends, children travel around the world in trance-like states and become disconnected from others. There is discontent and lack of harmony. The cornerstones of healthy compassion are underdeveloped.

5. It reduces Motivation.

Motivation to achieve personal goals in life requires driving, constant attention and a high level of tolerance. And with technological dependence, this motivation decreases rapidly. Like any addict, as children become more dependent, they begin to neglect themselves and their future. Watch what happens when technology-addicted children are suddenly forced to interact with the world. They quickly become discontented and restless. This is because, unlike technology, it cannot control the real world or the people in it. As a result, technology-dependent children may experience anxiety or depression symptoms when faced with difficult life choices.

Guides for Parents

Everyone faces this problem when technology addiction is not paid attention to. As a result, technology does not need to improve the child's life and control their lives. Try to put the structure and boundary around the use of technology for all family members. Remember, technology should be a tool for children, not a way of life.

Specialist Psychologist Nihan OĞUZ