The impact of home computer use on children's activities and development

The increasing amount of time children are spending on computers at home an d school has raised questions about how the use of computer technology may make a difference in their lives-from helping with homework to causing depr ession to encouraging violent behavior. This article provides an overview o f the limited research on the effects of home computer use on children's ph ysical, cognitive, and social development. Initial research suggests, for e xample, that access to computers increases the total amount of time childre n spend in front of a television or computer screen at the expense of other activities, thereby putting them at risk for obesity. At the same time, co gnitive research suggests that playing computer games can be an important b uilding block to computer literacy because it enhances children's ability t o read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple i mages simultaneously. The limited evidence available also indicates that ho me computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance. The research findings are more mixed, however regarding the effects on chil dren's social development. Although little evidence indicates that the mode rate use of computers to play games has a negative impact on children's fri endships and family relationships, recent survey data show that increased u se of the Internet may be linked to increases in loneliness and depression. Of most concern are the findings that playing violent computer games may i ncrease aggressiveness and desensitize a child to suffering, and that the u se of computers may blur a child's ability to distinguish real life from si mulation. The authors conclude that more systematic research is needed in t hese areas to help parents and policymakers maximize the positive effects a nd to minimize thr negative effects of home computers in children's lives.