Are Children Smarter Because of the Internet?
Trey B.
In our generation children grow up spending their time on the internet, from TV to video games, and even in school. The internet is filled with information, games, videos, etc., but the question is, are children smarter because of the internet? Internet Usage by Children
Children
spend countless hours on the internet everyday. Studies show that the average child between ages eight to eighteen years old spends approximately 44 and a half hours on the internet per week. That's almost two days every week! This is including them going to school, which takes up about seven hours five days per week. There are 168 hours in one week, with 35 of these spent at school and about 63 of these hours sleeping, leaving only about 70 hours of the week of their own time, in which they are spending 44 hours of on the internet, leaving only 36 hours of their own time not on the internet. Imagine for every hour you spend off of the internet you spend one hour and twenty minutes on the internet. While many adults think of this as a major issue that need to be looked at and/ or fixed, some look at the bright side of it and think kids are learning during this period.
What and Where are Children Learning on the Internet Children use the internet all the time for things such as games and entertainment, but they also are using it to learn whether they realize it or not. When kids are at school for instance, they use the Internet to look up facts and information that would not have been available to them without the Internet. There are also many educational applications and programs used for educational purposes, more often used among young children and toddlers. As these kids get older, it is likely that they are assigned research papers that they have to write. These force children to use the Internet and go through many sources gaining countless amounts of information on the topics from multiple different websites and sources. There are also some games that are educational that many children play such as an app called trivia crack in the App Store. Through apps and games like these children are also learning. Some children even enjoy educational articles and apps so they go in their own time and learn about different topics by reading articles and playing games. There are also many specially developed programs for young kids and toddlers to use to help them before starting in school.