We all know that technology has been integrated into the weave of our modern lives to such an extent that without technology there would be a big hole left in this fabric.
However as far as kids are concerned, it is a totally different ball game. I think technology has been developed to make our lives easier. What that means is less physical and mental effort to carry on a particular piece task. Less effort leads to less usage and less usage leads to impairing the capacity to function at the optimum level. So in simple terms what I mean to say is that introducing technology at an early stage would make kids use less of their brain and physical prowess. For example, using a calculator to do a 2+2 addition would never make him understand how the calculator derived the final answer. Similarly playing video games would never let him/her know what it is like playing in the open field in fresh air, where you run which builds your stamina, where you fall and get hurt which makes you more resilient, where you argue or agree with real people, which builds long lasting friendships as well as gives you people skills. Same things could be said about reading books vs getting information from the internet.
Thus, though I am not against technology (we know we cannot escape it no matter what), introducing it during the developing years of the child would do him more harm than good. It should be introduced as and when appropriate, but there is no need to feel ashamed if your 5 yr old does not know how to use a laptop or play the latest video games. Technology should be looked at just as a tool and not as a replacement to what is true and tested. And learning to use a tool could be done at a later stage in life. All of us reading this blog are a shining example of this philosophy.
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