Is it good for children to start using computers from an early age and spend long hours on them? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

----------- In recent years, children, like adults, have become increasingly exposed to computers. While some child psychologists have claimed that

this

is a good thing, others have claimed that it has an overwhelmingly detrimental impact on children. In

this

essay, I shall draw upon a number of studies in cognitive science and industrial psychology that reveal the positive and negative aspects of

this

phenomenon.

To begin

with, clearly there are reasons why computers do not allow children to develop long attention spans.

This

is because computers are packed with many supposedly child-friendly games that require minimal levels of concentration in order to be enjoyed.

For example

, a study by the New York Child Learning Association found that children who read from picture books were 50% less likely to get distracted than children who played educational computer games.

T

herefore computers

Accept comma addition

Therefore, computers

almost certainly have a negative impact on young children.

However

, since the world has become heavily reliant on computers, there are

also

clear advantages to exposing children to computers.

This

is because children with

such

exposure will stand a better chance of finding employment.

For example

, after being interviewed by Yale psychologists, over 70% of young office workers admitted that they had spent long hours on computers in their middle and late childhood years.

T

herefore it

Accept comma addition

Therefore, it

is clear that computer exposure can be beneficial to children. In conclusion, there are advantages and disadvantages to early computer exposure.

However

, if, in the future, the quality of educational gaming is increased, there is good reason to believe that these negative consequences will fall entirely away. (261)