Child Development: Experts Caution on Negative Impact of ICT Devices

Chairman, Openmedia,Engr Ernest Ndukwe and Chairperson, Women in Technology in Nigeria(WITIN), Mrs.Marth Omoekpen Alade at a one day Stakeholders Tech4D Forum with the theme: ICT & Child Development organised by the Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) a non-governmental organisation.

THE growing interest of children in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) devices have the tendency of affecting their development negatively, if parents and adult do not ensure control.

That was the submission of experts in the ICT industry at a one day Stakeholders Tech4D Forum with the theme: ICT and Child Development organised by the Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) a non-governmental organisation.

An expert in  software engineering at the University of Lagos, Mr. Chris Uwaje in paper, ICT: The Future and Survivability of the Nigerian Child revealed that at lot of Nigerian children are far ahead of their parents in the use of ICT devices and tools stating that while the children are at the neptune level in the use of ICT, the parents are at the earth level.

Citing the case of late Cynthia Osokogu who was lured to her death through activities on the social media platform, Facebook as one of the several negative impact of ICT, he said that there are growing trends in the society that suggest that ICT have negative impact.

According to him, children know so much about the use of ICT than their parents stressing that if parents much protect their wads from such negative impact, they should be willing to learn about ICT.

Uwaje stated that the Nigerian child is at the centre of the growing impact ICT on the society and development saying that there is already a huge worry on how ICT can be managed to develop the Nigerian child’s education.

He advised parents to be humble enough to let their children teach them things they do not know about ICT so that the parents can in turn protect them from the negative things that ICT offers.

Acting director, ICT, Federal Ministry of Information, Mrs. Veronica Adeyemo in a paper, Information Technology and Early Child Development: What Parents should Know, said that part of the roles of parents in early child development is to better understand ICT and how it can affect the development of the child.

She said that early education of the child on how ICT can affect  him/her negatively is very important since it would protect the child from peer pressure in order not to deny them of the roles of ICT in their educational development.

According to her, “something positive usually happens to the performance of pupils who make high use of ICT in their learning process. Standards and quality are positively enhanced with schools using ICT resources regardless of their socio-economic classifications.”

She said, “ICT generally motivates children to learn. Therefore achieving positive impact on learning and development using ICT depends to a large extent on how it is deployed and used”.

Adeyemo said that several ICT devices like mobile phones and platforms like the internet, video games as well as the television all play significant roles in the learning process and development of the if they are not inappropriately and excessively use.

She stated that interference by friends and relatives, and the influence of advertising and commercialism through unsolicited commercial text messages could affect the child’s development negatively.

In a case study she reviewed the importance of ICT to the development of a child, she said that parents should not dismissed the request of a child for a mobile device adding that indeed should be an opportunity to educate the child on the use of the device and why he needs it.

While advising parents not out rightly denying the child use of even more expensive mobile device like the iphone, that comes with applications that can distract a child, she said that parents should set rules regarding period of usage, and even decided if the child is old enough to manage the phone.

She stated that if parents do not have fore knowledge of its use, understand the implications; they will not be able to protect the child stressing “parents especially mothers need to encourage the child to establish boundaries between phone use and other activities like study, sleep, meals etc.  It will be needful to discuss together what priority mobile phone use should take”.

She further stressed that parents should instruct their wades not to make calls that are not urgent, put aside a certain part of the day for sending and replying SMS text message, switch off phones when involved in something to avoid being disturbed saying that “If your child imbibed this etiquette, he/she will know in future where and when to make or not make calls.”

On the great potentials of the internet, she said, “It is worthy to emphasise that despite the negative use of this medium by miss-fits, the internet is still very useful for positive and profitable activities by children. Parents have to be realistic to note that holding back the spread of internet use among children is practically impossible.  “As a parent, one might be tempted to want to deny the child access to the internet as a means of punishment, especially those who are not convinced of its advantages. Regardless of our views, we need to keep in mind the many useful things that can benefit the child’s growth on the internet, “she said. 

Adeyemo advised parents not to disconnect the internet service of their child saying that it may be depriving them of these possibilities saying however that parents should allow a child unrestrained access to the internet with some control and monitoring to prevent sometimes distracts the child from his studies and other commitments.

 “If you deny access to your child, while all his friends are still using the internet, he might resort to finding alternative ways to surf-far from your sight and supervision.

Establish from the beginning that using the net requires a level of maturity.  If your child uses the internet inappropriately, you may need to set some restrictions”, she stressed.

While speaking on the subject, Nollywood as a game Changer, a professor of technology at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, Mr. Michael Best said that movies have the potentials of moulding the character of the child if they watch films that are not decent.

According to him, movies can be used portray how technology can enhance good moral values in the child and develop them saying very most movies portray use technology in the wrong way.

Head of Special Institute Division at the International Telecommunications Union,(ITU), Mrs. Susan Schorr who spoke on Girls in ICT: Bridging the Digital Divide said that the ITU is passionate about encouraging more girl child in ICT education saying that the ITU has over 500 programmes that are targeted at girl child ICT education.