Computer games
Children at the kindergarten are playing video games and are surfing the web. 90% of the children aged 6 to 13 do have access to their parent's laptop. A third part of children under six spend their time with their own playstation. Source: KIM-Studie.
Why are little children so fascinated by computer games? When is the right time for children to use the computer?
Two experts saying different things:
Playing is fun! The electronic media are just enlarging the children's playground. They are encouraged to discover new phantasy worlds, to slip into new identities or characters and they can escape their everyday life for a few moments, says educationist and media pedagogue Prof. Dr. Stefan Aufenanger. With competence guidance they may acquire competence and critical usage without being overwhelmed.
Psychologist Dr. S. Trautsch opposes that children under the age of ten should not be allowed to have access to a computer and game stations. Even first-rated games are too fast, too loud and too flashy. The brain of a child cannot properly react to this stimulus. They do not learn to socialize with their peer-group and are unable to develop hobbies of their own.
These positions hardly come together.
What do you think?
Uwe
Saturday, June 19, 2010
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Labels:
children and computer games
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4 comments:
I really think this is a delicate decision which every parent has to make individually. On the one hand I think it is important not to keep your children away from these things since that is part of peer communication and it also makes it easier for them later in life when they are able to intuitively handle those things. On the other hand I can understand the argument of 'too flashy, too fast etc.'...
Lena
I really believe in the value of computer games, particularly when they carry certain conversation currency among the children. When a child doesn't play games, what is he going to talk to his friends?
It's true that there should be certain limit on time spend, just need the right balance.
I think there are a lot of alternatives to playing computer games - after all I did not play computer games in my childhood and I also did not own a TV until I was sixteen (so, also no video games or consoles) and I also had a lot of interests I could talk about - reading, drawing,listening to music, collecting stuff... sometimes, I wonder if all the media is not narrowing a child's imagination. My brother, for example, is thirteen and he spends so much time in front of the computer that I wonder what he would do without it... today I appreciate it that my parents did not allow me to have a TV until the age of sixteen, even if it was hard then :)
Sengül
Hi Sengül,
I totally agree!
Lena
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