Monday’s Fiji Times carried a story
which made for very serious discussions between my wife, our children and I.
Titled, “Digital Dementia,” the story by Timoci Vula highlighted a South Korean
study that found
increased use of digital devices such as smartphones and tablets can contribute to the deterioration in cognitive abilities in children.
 |
| Francisco-Xavier Bhagwan absorbed in the virtual world before giving it up for the month. The author says smart devices, like any other tool, should only be taken out of the shed when required. |
If you missed
the article, the study conducted by the Balance
Brain Centre in Seoul noted
the following:
·
Teenagers, who had become so
reliant on digital technology, were no longer able to remember everyday
details, even simple things such as their phone numbers.
·
Overuse of smartphones and game
devices hampers the balanced development of the brain, with heavy users likely
to develop the left side of their brains, leaving the right side untapped or
underdeveloped.
·
The right side of the brain was
linked with concentration and, when it was underdeveloped, could affect
attention and memory span.
·
In 15 per cent of cases, this
can lead to the early onset of dementia. In addition to messing with memory,
digital overuse is also connected with emotional underdevelopment, with
children more at risk than adults as their brains are still growing.
Having just returned from two years of
living and studying in South Korea and with my family undertaking a whirlwind
tour of Seoul prior to my return, the social impact of new technology was
obvious the first time one travels on the subway/ metropolitan railway. Virtual
silence as row upon row of bowed heads, with earphones blocking everything out,
peered into the world offered to them by their smart-phones or tablets –
watching movies or television shows, playing games or chatting on social media
or surfing the internet.
Hardly anyone communicated to anyone
else.
I assumed that this was part of the
culture of silence and respect for the other person’s space and while this may
be partly true, an older member of my congregation told me that chatting with
your neighbour on the bus or subway was common, until the advent of the smart
phone. Now people are becoming more self-absorbed or perhaps absorbed with the
virtual reality that the physical world and physical relationships are being
ignored.
Sitting at a coffee-shop I would notice
couples on dates, sitting opposite or next to each other and ignoring each
other while they chatted online with friends (or maybe each other) or played
games. I heard that neck strain from the constantly bowed head when using smart
devices was becoming a common problem and that there were numerous accidents
caused by either drivers using their smart devices or pedestrians so focused on
theirs that they weren’t watching where they were walking.
As a communicator by profession, I am
very interested in the tools that enhance communication and information
gathering. As someone living away from his family, the cheap communication
opportunities afforded by the internet and social media were important in
maintaining relationships. However one cannot really maintain a relationship or
be a virtual parent for too long.
When I returned to Fiji for my first
visit with a smartphone, I found that the children got addicted quite quickly
to the games and applications on the phone. Tears and tantrums followed
withdrawal of the gadget from their small hands.
The fact that our children sometimes are
more technologically savvy than the grownups does not mean that they are fully
aware of the implications and effect of using these devices.
Just over a week ago as my family walked
along the banks of the river Han in Seoul, on our way to a picnic (see last
Wednesday’s column), we noticed many people enjoying being outdoors in the
South Korean summer. People were, playing, riding bicycles, having their own
picnics. There were also many people out enjoying the fresh air. Some however,
were simply physically there, their attention – their minds were focused on the
gadget in front of them. Perhaps they were looking for the picnic “app.”
There is a false sense of reality that
comes with the digital virtual world that we need to be cautious of. There is
not personal time unless these gadgets are switched and one disconnects. An
attitude of instant gratification is connected to a loss of patience. Sometimes
our children cannot differentiate from the virtual or imaginary world and the
real one.
I see the use of smart devices as tools
of communication. But like all tools, sometimes they just have to be put in the
shed until they are needed.
My children, on reflection of the issue
of smart devices by our family, have agreed to not use any smart devices and to
use the family computers only with parental supervision for the month of July.
I am packing away my smartphone for the
month and trying to convince myself that after 2 years of instant
communications and near lightspeed internet, I can disconnect from the grid and
just enjoy our wonderful environment and
face to face, heart to heart and tanoa to bilo communication.
“Simplicity, serenity, spontaneity.”
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