The Internet and Children

1 Internet and Children Children's development is affected by a wide range of factors, including the type of environment they live in and the support they get. Internet use among children has emerged as a major factor impacting their skills and competencies. Children use the internet for education and entertainment purposes, underlining its influence on their understanding of the world. It has been reported that more than thirty million children tend to visit online sites annually, making it the most significant group dependent on the internet. The internet has become a central part of homes, schools, libraries, and schools.

The overdependence on the internet has both advantages and disadvantages in a person's life. Undeniably, the growing use of the internet among children has provoked a debate between its supporters and those with reservations about its effects on children's intelligence. The study answers the question of whether the internet can make children smarter. Children who use the internet are smarter because it helps them access information with ease, develop vision-spatial capabilities, learn and expand their knowledge, and expand their social networks.

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Significance of the Research The role of the internet in children's life has increased, raising concerns about its pros and cons. Therefore, it is important to fathom its value and take into perspective its function in the lives of children. Considering the past, when children used to thrive without the internet, and the contemporary society where the internet is rampant is there any gap in the "smartness" exhibited by the children of then and the contemporary children? Thus, the role of the internet in enhancing children's cognitive abilities is supposed to be ascertained. This study of the impact of the internet on children is in line with the previous research on mass media's effect on children.

As the number of children who use the internet grows, the impact of the internet on children's daily lives and how and why children use the internet should be examined. Understanding the effect of the internet on children's smartness is crucial to helping parents, guardians, and learning institutions put in place reasonable measures to ensure that its use does not have adverse effects on their development. In this respect, the study is necessary to help resolve concerns about the value of the internet to children. Amid the controversy, one extreme is the internet enthusiasts who view Internet use as the panacea for all that plagues society, including inadequacies in the educational system. At the other extreme are the Internet alarmists who view Internet use as undermining the very fabric of society, including the healthy development of its children (Nafee et al., 2018). Most people fall somewhere between these extremes. Most are waiting for research to answer these questions. Consequently, the existing disagreement on the value of the internet on children's smartness would be resolved through research.

Research Questions 1. Are children smarter because of internet use?

2. Does the use of the internet among children lower their intelligence?

3 3. Has the internet contributed to making children more intelligent?

Methodology There is a lot of existing research about the impact of the internet on various groups, including children. The research can be leveraged to arrive at an amicable conclusion in this study. A qualitative review of existing literature will answer the research questions and understand how the internet impacts children's intelligence. Examining the existing literature on the internet and children will help develop a comprehensive understanding of how it has affected their learning. The study will prioritize the latest research outcomes. The literature used in this study will include books and journal articles from credible sources.

Literature Review A considerable body of research has examined the effect of the internet and even technology on academic outcomes. In most cases, the products of the studies bring out the fact that the results are inconclusive. The benefits of using the internet have been observed; however, they depend on a range of factors: the subject matter. The only outcome for which the benefits have been consistently observed is the visual-spatial skills. For instance, it has been unveiled that computer gaming contributes to visual-spatial abilities, and this happens when these skills are assessed immediately after the internet activity (Nafee et al., 2018). The proponents of internet use among children base on the benefits of the development of visual-spatial abilities to support its use in schools.

Children trust internet sources of information to expand their knowledge about various topical issues in their life. According to Graafland (2018), as children depend on the internet currently than ever before, they tend to trust all information on the internet. They believe that the information they always get from the internet tends to be more credible than any other source of

4 information. The internet is also said to provide an opportunity for the children to establish a sense of belonging. This is evidenced in the way teens use lots of slang and shorthand online to express individuality and speed up the conversation. This Internet slang sometimes provides a sense of belonging to an Internet user (Graafland, 2018). Children seem to know more than their parents do about the internet. Graafland (2018) establishes that children can also find advice on issues such as healthcare and sex online, helping them to gain important knowledge that can place them ahead of their peers. In essence, children can use internet services to learn more about an issue impacting their life.

The internet has increased the level of activity among children. In the contexts such as Indonesia, it has been discovered that children could go out to play with their mates. However, this is not the trend currently (Nafee et al., 2018). Now, the children tend to use the internet as a fun activity z for them. With the use of the internet, the needs of the children are met, which entails obtaining information, searching for information, and even interacting socially. The internet is widely being leveraged when it comes to online learning. The information related to academic tasks and the latest news is likely to impact cognitive development and intellectual perceptions in the surrounding environments (Sprung et al., 2020). Learning is an area that has received much support from internet technology. However, the information is vast on the internet; therefore, there is a need for children to be able to choose selectively. For example, children can search information related to the task using the internet, but usually, there are advertisements for adults (pornographic) or advertising what they can access on the internet. So, it is not by the information they need (Graafland, 2018).

The digital skills help learners to search and access learning material online, underpinning the impact of technology on their intelligence. According to Hurwitz and Schmitt

5 (2020), children who have early exposure to the internet are likely to perform better in academics than those who did not have timely access to the internet. Digital skills are used in academic and non-academic life to assist children in searching and reading information from online sources.

These skills help children to gain more informed and enhance their intelligence. Benchea's (2021) study establishes that internet use is also associated with positive academic results.

However, the study also found that internet addiction can adversely affect learners' academic performance, underlining the need for regulated use. Grusec and Hastings (2016) observe that the internet helps children easily socialize with others, regardless of the distance difference, helping them create elaborate social networks. Arguably, the internet gives children opportunities to create networks across borders and cultural divides.

Internet use is linked to several adverse effects on children's development and cognitive abilities. Researchers have also cited various adverse effects of the internet. These include psychological disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social anxiety disorder. Individuals feel comfortable interacting with others via the internet and feel uncomfortable when social interaction is directly (Nafee et al., 2018). Other risks include less internet literacy, although the children are active on the internet, and a decrease in visual function, among many other things (Graafland, 2018). In this respect, research has also unveiled some protective factors, such as the role played by parents in guiding the children and instilling internet literacy in schools, among other strategies.

Findings The study established that the use of internet-based spots helps enhance children's ability to use their eyes to make a judgment and do activities such as calculation. According to Nafee et al. (2018), visual-spatial abilities are needed to help children perform various life activities

6 (Nafee et al., 2018). The improved vision impacts children's critical thinking, especially with regard to judging distance and predicting possible actions and behavior of other people. In addition, the sharp eyes are linked to the ability of the brain to interpret pictures and objects before them rightly, which helps children improve their intelligence. In a nutshell, internet use in children helps to enhance their visual-spatial competencies, impacting their smartness in understanding the world.

Children use the internet to learn more about various topics or things they may not be taught in class and home. The internet opens them up to an avalanche of information, making them more informed than if they had no access to it. Children learn about new languages through the internet, such as slang (Graafland, 2018). The internet offers children more summarized information, making it easier for them to understand topics and new ideas. The internet also exposes children to information about topics such as healthcare (Graafland, 2018). Knowing many languages enhances their competency and knowledge of things their parents and peers who have no access to internet services do not have. The use of the internet among children is dominated by a search for new information and games, which expands their understanding of the world and new ideas than their counterparts without internet services (Graafland, 2018). A child can learn about what is happening in distant places through the internet, an advantage that others may not get because of relying on analog systems to get information. It is important to note that information is power, hence the importance of easier access through the internet.

Moreover, it was found that children who have early exposure to the internet tend to perform better in education than those who do not have access to the internet. Digital skills are useful in learning, particularly in searching and accessing educational material online (Hurwitz & Schmitt, 2020). Internet technology is an enabler in learning because it supports access to

7 learning material and sharing of information between learners and educators. The internet gives children a plethora of readings that help them expand their knowledge beyond what is offered in class, contributing to their smartness to those who cannot access the benefits of internet services.

The evidence that learners who use the internet can perform better in academics is a testimony to how it is a contributory factor to smart children (Benchea's, 2021). Therefore, the internet is linked to excellence in academics, underling its contribution to children's smartness in learning.

The internet also helps children to easily socialize with others, regardless of the distance barrier, contributing to their smartness. Social media has made it possible for children to befriend others from a distant place, expanding their social circle (Grusec & Hastings, 2016). An elaborate social network increases children's knowledge about various cultures, particularly those who make friends with peers from other cultural groups. The internet gives children a broader space to make links with their colleagues and adults alike, expanding their reach and influence.

Social media allow children from all walks of life together, allowing them to socialize and make friends freely. Intensive socialization allows them to enhance their social skills and knowledge (Hurwitz & Schmitt, 2020). Compared to those who cannot socialize beyond their physical environment, children who use the internet are more informed about social relations by virtue of the many diverse relationships they develop online. As a result, the internet is useful in enhancing socialization among children, making them smarter in handling relationship needs and issues.

Internet helps children do complex tasks at a tender age, which helps them develop critical thinking. The development of a critical mindset, in turn, leads to a higher intelligence quotient. Children who do not have internet have limited opportunities to options about what to do, which hampers their cognitive development (Andrada, 2019). The internet gives children

8 exposure to complex information that can stimulate critical thinking. A high IQ is like shrewdness and intelligence. The research by Andrada (2019) revealed that children who use the internet tend to be more informed than those who do not have access to internet services.

Therefore, internet use can improve children's IQ, underlining its contribution to their shrewdness.

Adverse Effects The use of the internet is also associated with reduced social skills, mainly due to dependence on online interaction that protects parties with low self-esteem and the ability to communicate well verbally. Children may have challenges in physical communication if they rely on the internet for all their communication and socialization. Self-expression before people requires smartness, implying that those who have challenges in public expression are not smart.

Overreliance on the internet lowers the child's ability to develop the most needed social skills (Sprung et al., 2020). For instance, children who spend most of their time on the internet for socialization have a poor judgment of the other party because online people tend to conceal their true characters to impress, which affects the ability to judge and make an informed decision.

Moreover, by spending most of the time online, children have limited interaction with others in the real world, which affects their cognitive skills, especially concerning socialization.

Social skills include starting and maintaining conversations and relations (Grusec & Hastings, 2016). Nevertheless, children who stay most of the time indoors because of addiction to the internet may have challenges creating a relationship with other children when they meet because they have a poor experience in social skills. As a result, the internet can hamper the socialization and intelligence of the child in social relations.

9 The use of the internet can also lower the ability of children to remember ideas because they always turn on online search engines to remind them about almost everything. Children would turn to the internet to find the meaning of words and statements when they should have otherwise known them from the class reading of early exposure (Hurwitz & Schmitt, 2020).

Internet is often used by children who do not want to engage in deep reading to look for short notes about topics and concepts that may require wide and deep reading. The ability to recall ideas is mainly affected when someone has a quick reminder. It is common for children to turn to the internet to check spelling or words they should be able to write without errors. It is important to note that they can keep on rechecking the same word many times because of low interest in mastering its spellings. Consequently, such children cannot be said to be smart because they have limited development and use of their short and long-term memories.

Conclusion Children who use the internet are smarter because it helps them access information with ease, develop vision-spatial capabilities, learn and expand their knowledge, and expand their social networks. Internet use has a lot of influences on the development of children, including improving their visual-spatial abilities, cognitive capacity, and social networking. However, there is a way parents and stakeholders such as teachers ensure that the impact that the internet is bringing about in the lives of children is only positive. The internet has contributed to making children more intelligent by exposing them to a lot of information on various topical issues, making them more informed than people who have no access to the internet and their parents.

Nevertheless, children's uncontrolled use of the internet can affect their intelligence by creating dependence on online sources to answer questions they should be knowledgeable to answer without assistance. The role of parents and teachers when it comes to assisting in online activities

10 and controlling the frequency and duration of internet use among children can go a long way in helping to mitigate the adverse effects of the internet. However, there is a need for more research to examine the generalizability of these findings, identify mediating mechanisms by which Internet use influences academic outcomes, and develop and evaluate interventions designed to maximize the benefits of Internet use for children. Overall, internet use tends to make children smart, but they need proper guidance to ensure that adverse effects that may hamper their intelligence are reduced.

11 References Andrada, D. (2019). Does the internet makes children smarter? https://whshowl.org/5652/news/does-the-internet-makes-children-smarter/.

Benchea, L. (2021). Analysis of the relationship between internet use and students’ academic engagement. Journal of E-Learning and Higher Education, 1-10.

Graafland, J.H. (2018). New technologies and 21st-century children: Recent trends and outcomes. OECD Education Working Paper No. 179. https://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=EDU/WKP %282018%2915&docLanguage=En Grusec, J., & Hastings, P. (2016). Handbook of socialization. Guilford Press.

Hurwitz, L., & Schmitt, K. (2020). Can children benefit from early internet exposure? Short- and long-term links between internet use, digital skill, and academic performance. Computers & Education, 146, 103750.

Nafee, H.M., Mohammed, B., & Al-Hamdan, A.Y. (2018). Effect of excessive internet use in Saudi and Egyptian teenagers' health: Comparative study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 8(9), 25-35.

Sprung, B., Froschl, M., Gropper, N., & Lipkin, M. C. (2020). Cybersafe young children: Teaching Internet safety and responsibility, K-3. Teachers College Press.