Kids & Technology

Recently, I came across a youth who was experiencing an issue with his tablet. However, it wasn’t the tablet that was the problem—it was his attachment to the device. The boy would wake up every morning, staring at his device over a bowl of cereal. The device would accompany him everywhere: to the washroom, to school, and even during class, where he often texted. When he wasn’t at school, he spent endless hours in front of the screen. Does this sound familiar?

Several studies have raised concerns about how attached young people are becoming to their devices. Research by Dr. Hisao Ishii found that 1 in 4 children between the ages of five to sixteen own a cell phone, most commonly using it to make calls or send text messages.

A recent survey by Time Magazine reported that 1 in 4 people check their devices every 30 minutes, while 1 in 5 check every 10 minutes.

In 1945, children were learning to build birdhouses in schools, writing in cursive, and engaging in hands-on learning. Sadly, today, children often learn more through technology than through traditional methods. Methods that involved learning to paint on easels, not on iPads, and constructing things other than what they find in games like Minecraft.

At We Did It!, we strive to implement a more traditional approach to learning by incorporating innovative and educational activities into our programming. By exposing children to diverse opportunities today, we help them unleash their potential for tomorrow.