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Carolyn Daly

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

9/23/19

Topic Proposal: Child Development and Interactive Media

Introduction/Overview

The purpose of my research this semester is to discover the effects of interactive media

on child development. Interactive media is any device such as a phone, tablet, or television that

responds to the users through audio, text, video, moving images, or video games. Over the past

decades there has been a rapid increase in technology and children are being exposed to it

without any knowledge of how it may impact them. There is very little research on how media

use impacts children's behavior and development. I want to uncover the positive and negative

effects of these devices on child development in order to inform parents, teachers, and any other

professionals on how they should approach exposing their child to mobile media.

In our world today, technology is everywhere and children are being exposed to it at a

rapid pace. In many ways technology has a positive impact on children. Many television

programs are filled with beneficial educational information and are geared toward enhancing

children’s cognitive, language and social development. Phone apps have become popular among

young children as well, these apps can be just as effective as real life interactions in teaching
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children words and language. E-books are another interactive tool that help children learn to

read. Usually in e-books there are moving pictures and the option for audio to read the story

aloud. There is research to suggest that e-books help to increase literacy of young children.

All of these tools are used with good intentions but in many ways they can have harmful

effects on children. The first years of a child’s life are the most critical to their overall

development. What they learn and experience can affect them for the rest of their lives. While

interactive media can help children learn, it can also be distracting and often children have

trouble relating and applying content to the real world. Jenny Radesky, Assistant Professor of

Pediatrics at the University of Michigan, writes that children under 30 months of age do not learn

as much from videos and apps as they do from real life interactions. For young children, it is

essential to have live interactions with parents and caregivers because so much of how children

learn is through play and hands on experience. Overuse is another issue we face with technology,

parents need to make sure children have a balance between media use and other types of play. In

her article, Media and Young Minds, Radesky informs of a correlation between excessive use of

technology and obesity, lack of sleep, and cognitive delays. We need to be aware of these issues

and how they are impacting children's development, and because the technology is advancing at

such a quick pace, there is very little research to inform us of the pros and cons of media use.

In beginning the process of my research, I have mainly used google and google scholar to

look up websites and articles. I found several informative articles on the AAP News and Journals

Gateway. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of pediatricians in

America, they use this site to share articles and journals written by pediatricians. This website
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has been very helpful for the early stages of my research. For further investigation I plan on

using library databases for more in-depth publications. I also would like to find more articles and

journals written by teachers, psychologists, and other professionals to see their view on the

impact of interactive media on child development. I found my first steps in researching to be

very helpful in narrowing my topic and finding what parts I wanted to focus on.

There are many opposing opinions concerning this topic. Some people think that

interactive media is a great way for children to learn and there should be a bigger push for

incorporating it into school and learning. The idea of online preschool has even been considered.

Others are cautious about the amount we should expose children to media devices. Many believe

it is beneficial for children to learn through real experiences rather than digital lessons. Some of

the major people involved in the conversation are educators, psychologists, pediatricians, and

parents of young children. These discussions take place in newspapers, articles, journals, videos

and many other places. There are many differing views.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

How does interactive media affect child development? Is interactive media beneficial to a

child’s education? What are the positive and negative effects of technology on young children?

How much of an input do parents have on their child’s media use? Do children learn better by

using interactive media as an educational tool?

My Interest in this Topic

This topic interests me because I find the process of child development and how their

brain works fascinating. This project is also significant to me because my major is Childhood
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and Family Development. In my future career I will be working with young children. I want to

learn how technology positively and negatively impacts children so I know how to incorporate it

into teaching. Also I want to be able to inform parents and future colleagues so they are aware of

how they should approach technology use with their kids.

I know that technology is rapidly advancing so our use of these devices is increasing as

well. Interactive media can benefit children but it can also have harmful effects on their

development. I hope to learn specific ways development is affected. I also want to learn how

children’s use of media affects their brain and behavior. I want to know steps parents can take to

regulate their child’s use of media and what programs and apps have the most educational value.

Next Steps

In order to go more in depth with my research, I will use the library databases to try and

find more detailed articles and information. I would also like to find research studies focusing on

interactive media and preschoolers.. I wish to find at least one or two books in the library on the

child developmental process and their normal behaviors in order to have a basis for what is

typical and then compare it to the behavior of children who use interactive media.