UM Surabaya Lecturer: Excessive Use of Gadgets Makes Children's Interest in Reading Declines

• 02 Aug
• 2023

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UM Surabaya Lecturer: Excessive Use of Gadgets Makes Children's Interest in Reading Declines

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Education
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Unlike their parents or caregivers, gen-z children grow hand in hand with technological developments. Of course, these children will be more exposed to technology, especially gadgets. The use of gadgets by children can have a positive impact if controlled, but on the contrary if used excessively it can become a boomerang.

Sri Lestari, a UM Surabaya English Education Lecturer, said that with excessive use of gadgets, the negative effects will outweigh the positives.

"In relation to reading activities, gadgets can interfere with children's focus and concentration. They will be more interested in opening other applications such as YouTube or games,” said Tari Wednesday (2/8/23)

Meanwhile, the process of cultivating an interest in reading takes a long time because it requires complex skills, starting from recognizing letters and their sounds to fully understanding the meaning of reading.

"Starting from an early age introducing letters by reading fairy tales and reading activities aloud, until later adults children can understand reading," he added.

Tari said, if children are introduced to gadgets from an early age, of course the reading process can be disrupted because their concentration can be reduced. Dependence on gadgets can make them stare at the screen more often and choose to surf other applications such as YouTube which is more entertaining for them. Moreover, early childhood whose concentration span is very short can be easily distracted by gadgets because they feel that gadgets are more interesting than reading activities.

Apart from that, there are indeed many studies that show a positive link between the use of technology such as gadgets and reading. It's just that it is very likely that this research targets children who already have a high interest in reading so that the presence of technology plays a major role in helping them.

However, it would be different if technological intervention in the form of using gadgets was used for children who had just learned to read or even just had an interest in reading. Moreover, if it is used excessively, the child's interest in reading may decrease or disappear altogether.

Not only that, sustainable impacts can be related to child development. Excessive use of gadgets can trigger a lack of daily activities and interfere with the quality and quantity of their sleep.

“If this happens to a child whose growth process is still running, it will disrupt his physical, cognitive and affective growth. It's not surprising that many children have tantrums that are difficult to deal with because they are addicted to these gadgets," he said.

At the end of his statement, he advised parents to use gadgets for children wisely so that more benefits would be obtained.