From social media to reality, we’ve been seeing them everywhere. 8-year-old TikTok users, 9-year-old Sephora skincare addicts, and kids owning electronic devices before even reaching double digits. Introducing Gen-Alpha, better known as “iPad Kids.”
A loss of in-person socialization and less imagination are both serious downsides of this screen time crisis among children of Gen-Alpha. Still, on a deeper level, many behavioral and developmental issues have both increased due to excessive amounts of screen time, as shown in many studies.
An example would be a shortened attention span. Student-Centered World reported that this generation has grown up with constant internet and social media access. In turn, Gen-Alpha children may have shorter attention spans than previous generations and be focused more on instant gratification.
These children are also exemplifying “bad behavior”; fighting and screaming when told to get off screens and arguing with siblings over an electronic device. This is explained because screens- bright colors, interesting graphics, and addicting games- all trigger a release of dopamine, known as “happy chemicals” from the brain.
“But when the game stops, so does dopamine release, and for some individuals, this can result in irritability,” Tom Warshawski, a pediatrician and chair of the Childhood Obesity Foundation, said.
A resulting, and most severe, developmental issue can be regarded as the lack of meaningful, real-world interaction and engagement. This severely hinders Gen-Alpha’s social development but also creates a dependency and preference for their “digital world” rather than “real world.” According to Providence College research, Alpha students are rarely interacting and engagingin their day to day due to their days spent online, at home, rather than socializing in traditional ways.
Whether it’s difficulty communicating with adults such as teachers, throwing temper tantrums over screen-related issues, or simply having a shorter attention span, the negative impacts on Gen-Alpha’s development continue to grow, raising concerns about the future of a generation.
