Math Survey Report - Tess

Age and Technology

By Tess Fultz

Age and Technology

In the survey I made I asked the people of Hebron about what they thought of kids’ early access to technology. It's been controversial topic for quite some time, especially with each evolution in our technology and the accessibility to every individual. Some believe that kids will be introduced into too much violence and drugs or just other “mature” topics. Therefore, I took this opportunity and asked the people of Hebron their opinion, this was their responses.

How Old Are You?

At the beginning of the survey I asked the participants how old they were. This was to help me to see how someone’s age might affect their opinion. For example, someone who went through their education without easy access technology might have different opinions than someone who did go through their education with technology, or someone who is currently in school.

Do you have your own phone?

After I asked the survey taker’s age, I asked them whether or not they had their own phone. The majority of them did, at a staggering 97.7%, though unsurprising. Phones are becoming more common throughout the population.

How old were you when you got your phone?

I asked the participants how old they were when they got their phone, and the answers were a little surprising. Many people were very young when they got their phones, even if the percentage of people saying access to technology at a young age is a bad thing is a high percentage.

What are your thoughts on kids having technology at an early age?

I asked the participants how they felt on kids having technology at an early age. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, and other unsure options. I found that the majority of people think it depends on the situation, at 45.1% of the responses. The runner up was people thinking it was a bad thing at 26.4%.

What age is too early for technology?

Including asking the participant’s opinion on access to technology at an early age, I asked what age is” too early” for access to technology. The most popular opinion was what I expected, 1st - 2nd grade. Kids in those grades are usually only about 5 or 6, and many people think that is too young. What I was surprised by however is that the runner up was grades 3rd - 5th. I personally had a school owned laptop in 3rd grade that we used in class, for classwork and things like IXL, but we were allowed to use it during break times. I never saw any negative effects on me or my classmates, but this was just my personal experience.

Conclusion

Throughout this whole project overall I have been looking for one answer, how do the people of Hebron feel about children and their access to technology, and thus the outside world?

Through this survey I have found my answer, but it was honestly surprising. I thought that more people would have a positive outlook on kids having access to technology, that they would think it benefited them. However, I was wrong. The majority of the participants thought as though early access to technology was a bad thing, that it had negative effects.