They asked 3 generations the same question: "When you
were little, what did you do for fun?"
From the grandparents and parents you heard answers like
berry-picking, growing watermelons, playing baseball, and building forts.
The children's responses to the same question included video
games, texting, sending email, and watching videos. Nature Valley didn't stop
there, though. They spread the gap even wider when asking the kids how long
each day they spent on their electronics. They responded with at least 3 to 5
hours everyday and one little girl aged around 6 said she would "die"
without her tablet, their tagline following: "Nature has always been a
part of childhood."
What changed from one generation to the next?
There are currently 6 living generations today:
The Greatest
Generation (1901-1926)
Silents
(1927-1945)
Baby Boomers
(1946-1964)
Generation X
(1965-1980)
Generation
Y/Millennial (1981-2000)
Generation
Z/Boomlets (after 2001)
Technology was introduced during Generation X and
Generations Y and Z grew up not remembering a time without certain
technologies. The technological revolution that brought along the first mac
computers to cell phones to smartphones happened all within the short span of
42 years. Yet, already it seems that technology is changing the habits and
lifestyle of future generations. It is a scary thought to think that for so
many years prior to this revolution, generations grew up in nature and sent
this tradition down, yet in less than a lifespan of the average human being,
this healthy and natural way of being has virtually gone out the window (quite
literally).
The Greatest Generation, Silents, Baby Boomers, and
Generation X are the only generations alive today who remember a world without
computers and cell phones. They are the ones who spent a majority of their
childhood outdoors and did not have all the conveniences of life as we have them
today (some of The Greatest Generation grew up without electricity,
refrigerators, or air conditioning). In the 1950s the obesity rate in America
was at 9%, but about 50 years later, after the technological revolution, this
rate tripled to 33% and in 2006, not a single state reported obesity rates
below 10%. An estimated 1 in 3 children are overweight in America today. Is
this just a coincidence that as soon as generations starting becoming addicted
to technology, obesity rates skyrocketed? While there are more factors to
obesity than exercise (diet is also a huge factor), it seems as though children
who spend up to 5 hours a day playing video games or texting on their cell
phones are not prioritizing time outside of the house. Today, the typical child
spends an average of 30 minutes outside per day.
Being outdoors has been proven to be beneficial for
children's body, mind, and spirit. Along with exercise building strong bodies,
being outside in the sunlight provides essential vitamin D, which helps protect
against future health issues with heart disease, bone problems, diabetes, and
more. It can also be said that being outside can improve distance vision and
help prevent nearsightedness (which is also a common issue today). Some studies
have found that being in an environmental setting can extensively improve
symptoms of ADHD, while an outdoor-style education can increase test scores and
critical thinking skills. Another study shows that children's stress levels
decrease immediately when they see nature and playtime outside reduces the
anxiety that come from the fast-paced, 24/7 world that technology provides.
Not only does technology steal most of the time children
spend outside in nature, but there are a number of studies today that show
other negative implications of continuously using electronic devices.
Addiction to some forms of technology are real medical
conditions. One boy, around 6 years old, answered that sometimes he forgets
that he has a family--parents, a sister, a dog--because he is so immersed in
the virtual life of his video game. Nomophobia--the fear of being separated
from your cell phone--is also a real term that many people feel everyday.
Addiction to technology, just as addiction to anything, is considered a
psychological disorder that is treatable. Addiction to video games, for
example, is being treated as an "impulsive control disorder" along
the same lines as compulsive gambling. Along with the side effects of any
addiction such as depression or anxiety, addiction to technology also hinders
social development.
Even more alarming studies today have claimed that certain
technologies, such as cell phones, can physically cause harm to the body over
time. Cell phones, while switched on, emit invisible electromagnetic radiation
that is absorbed by the body. There has been much debate over a vast array of
health effects of mobile radiation over the years including cancer,
infertility, autism, learning disabilities, depression, hormonal imbalance, and
more.
Currently in US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
has set a regulation for the specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile radiation
allowed to sell a cell phone in the marketplace. Today, phone companies are
testing their SAR's with a dummy designed after a 220 lb (100 kg), 6'2"
(1.88m) adult man. Clearly, this model doesn't work well for children who may
be a quarter of that size or less-in fact, Om Gandhi, a professor at the
University of Utah, children absorb 10 times the amount of radiation that
adults absorb. Even if the health effects associated with cell phone radiation
haven't been proven yet, it can't be good to have your child constantly
absorbing high amounts of electromagnetic radiation that is speculated to have
these effects.
None of this is to say that you should unplug yourself or
your children from technology entirely--some of it acts as a necessity in our
society today. Without a computer and cell phone, almost all businesses would
not be able to function. The important thing to take away from this information
is to be cautious and healthy about the way you approach technology. Limiting
time spent on electronic devices, making time to spend with your family
outdoors, and remembering that we are just human beings, not robots controlled
by technology, are important in leading a healthy lifestyle for you today
future generations to come.
For more articles and info on the issues of infertility and
mobile radiation, check out the WaveWall blog. Protect your manhood today with
a WaveWall anti-radiation phone case.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_J_T_Gardiner
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9128469
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