Today’s digital revolution has impacted the way children consume information with the easy access to technological devices and mass consumption of media. Children can easily access information at their fingertips, and this has become prevalent with the recent school closures due to the global Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Technology has impacted the educational, physical, emotional, and psychological development of children. Joseph R. Dominick noted in The Dynamics of Mass Communication, that, unlike the days when Broadcast Media had a ban on indecent content between 6 am to 10 pm, the internet is readily accessible for children at any time and is not limited by time regulations or the content provider (Dominick, 2011 p.390). This suggests that without parental supervision, children who are in contact with a smartphone or device in their homes, schools or through their peers, are the primary determinants of the content they choose to consume. This content is usually inappropriate for different age groups and exposes minors to explicit adult content, cyber-bullying, and peer pressure. Consequently, this has impacted the self-esteem of children who view their value as a reflection of what mass entertainment media has portrayed. The educational implications are far-reaching today given the current global COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of schools internationally has led to a forceful adoption of more technology use among children of all ages. The educational implications vary and research findings by McKinsey & Company on the impact of technology in classrooms shows that various factors are to be considered for the best student outcomes. The effectiveness of technology use in education depends on factors such as the type of device used, the intensity of use, the teacher-student interaction with the use of the device, the context of the school standard, and geographical location. According to Bryant et al., (2020) in the article, New global data reveal education technology’s impact on learning, a comprehensive look at the benefits and application of technology would determine its effectiveness in the classroom. Taken together, these results suggest that systems that take a comprehensive, data-informed approach may achieve learning gains from the thoughtful use of technology in the classroom. Online learning and education technology are currently providing an invaluable service by enabling continued learning over the course of the pandemic; this does not mean that they should be accepted uncritically as students return to the classroom” (Bryant et al., 2020 para. 23). Therefore, the responsibility to set healthy technology use boundaries is necessary for students of varying age-groups. This can be in the form of device supervision, software regulation, and training on responsible choices. Digital Citizenship classes can be taught by schools because “all students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life” (Common Sense Education, 2020). This age-appropriate approach to empowering children, parents, and educators through Digital Citizenship training, provides a moral and ethical platform for responsible technology use and helps to mitigate the negative effects of mass consumption of information by minors. Determining the social-emotional effects of mass communication and technology use among children is difficult to establish. This is because of the diverse and wide range of contexts and factors that influence and inform the choices people make when it comes to using technology. There are several variables, and these include, but are not limited to, parental influence, social class, peers, ethnicity, gender, education, and environment (Dominick, 2011 p.444-446). Additionally, since relationships are complex and people perceive and respond to situations differently after extended exposure to mass media, there is a need to rely on new approaches to research that have been developed. Dominick explains that, using new techniques in economic research and expanding into other areas of investigation in ‘natural experiments’ that correlate with mass media exposure has produced interesting results, some of which are positive in influence. In determining ‘prosocial behaviour’ among children exposed to mass media, “actions such as sharing, cooperating, developing self-control, and helping” were promoted through television programs” (Dominick, 2011 p.445). More recently, with the rise of social media use among younger age groups, virtual communities have become prevalent on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Tik-Tok. This presents a sense of belonging for a lot of young people who collaborate on projects, celebrate each other, and influence others in different causes of interest. According to Hipps (2005), “we are drawn wider but not deeper through electronic communication” a statement he coins in his book, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. This suggests that the virtual community presents a fragmented perception of keeping ‘in touch’ rather than spending time engaging in in-person interactions. While virtual communities are more convenient when it comes to quickly sharing information, they are less effective for clearer communication and strengthening relationships. Moreover, the virtual community has the power to build and create ‘tribes’ of people but paradoxically, also further isolates them pushing them deeper into individualism. While online communities are great, they mimic real relationships without personal interaction. The challenge with this is that these virtual relationships are quickly created but also quickly destroyed. (Hipps, 2005 ch.6). Therefore, the effects of technology, the media and internet access on children are both positive and negative. The benefits can surpass the challenges of technology use depending on whether healthy boundaries are established through parental supervision, school educational guidelines and the spheres of influence among peers. In the current digital age of information, it is necessary to equip children at a much younger age, to take responsibility for the choices presented to them by the media and spur in technological access.
