Child development in a digital world

Technology plays an increasingly important part in the lives of children and young people and can potentially impact on child development in many of the areas we’ve looked at.

Firstly, it impacts on competence; children succeeding in what they do and feeling that they can master challenges.

Secondly, on social interaction; children connecting with others using online networking.

Thirdly on a sense of autonomy; children being in control of their lives and making rational choices. As ever there are positive and negatives to such developments.

On the positive side, social media can help children maintain family ties and to strengthen friendships. For shy children, digital communication can help them to take part in a wider social environment. Some even suggest that digital communication might improve emotional connection and empathy. Digital technology can also promote inventiveness and creativity.

Negative impacts may include the promotion of aggressive responses in children caused by playing violent video games, interference with psychosocial wellbeing, children’s attention span and the potential for disrupted sleep. Internet addiction, aggressive game-playing and bullying have also been linked to children's exposure to the digital world and of course online safety and exposure to less favourable aspects of the adult world are also concerns.