Thesis Proposal

           For my Opinion Editorial, I have chosen to speak about how technology has negatively affected childhood. Some people view the new generation as progression. The affect of technology on their childhood is inevitable as people become more technologically advanced. It could even be considered a good thing to have so many technologically-savvy kids growing up. However, I will seek to prove that all this technology is not necessarily a good thing and that kids born before this time had a richer, more character building experience growing up.

            I believe the worst affect of technology on childhood is lack of character building and social skills. In a world where everything is a click away, patience is a lesson which can easily be lost on young kids. Life isn’t supposed to be easy. Quick, fading happiness that comes from playing games on an I-pad cannot replace real happiness that comes from time spent doing real things in the real world. Socially, technology limits the real time experiences which taught us how to properly speak to others. Face to face interaction cannot be replaced with screen to screen.

            An argument could be made that kids aren’t losing all that much by growing up with technology. Just because technology advances it doesn’t mean that there will be no more sport teams and playing outdoors. As for social aspects, many argue that video games can foster friendship and fun just as real life experiences can. I agree, to an extent. Kids still play outdoors. However, I do think that technology has limited the amount of time they spend doing these things. As for video games, they can be fun and friendship building. But if games are all a child has, they loose much more than they gain.

            In the end, its all about moderation. Even the Church’s stance on technology supports this. Technology can be good and useful, but only if we don’t allow it to consume our lives.