Have you ever paid much attention to the effects that electronics have on young people? I’ve seen how 
differently kids act when they spend hours in front of a computer or TV, versus the way the act when they are busy doing something productive and worth-while. Having babysat many children throughout my teen years, I can look back now and say that I vividly remember how wonderful the kids behaved when we were coloring or creating things from PlayDough. I also remember how they could sob their poor eyes out when I turned off the television, sometimes even lashing out in anger as they slapped me or their siblings. Back then, I didn’t really understand it very well, but keep reading.
I took it upon myself tonight to research why technology affects young people the way it does. In the extreme aspect of what a dulled brain can develop into, take a look at the two shooters of the Columbine tragedy back in 1999. Shooters Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17), were heavily involved in video and computer games, most notably the internet deathmatch game called Doom.
An article on Wikipedia states:
Both Harris and Klebold were fans of video games such as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Harris often created levels for Doom that were widely distributed, and can still be found on the Internet as the Harris levels. Rumors that the layout of these levels resembled that of Columbine High School circulated but appear untrue. Harris spent a great deal of time creating another large mod, named “Tier,” calling it his “life’s work.” The mod was uploaded to the Columbine school computer and to AOL shortly before the attack but appears to have been lost.
A few sentences later it adds:
Some analysts argued that part of the killers’ problem may have been desensitization due to their constant exposure to violent imagery in such video games, as well as music and movies, theorizing that their obsession with these forms of media may have led them to depersonalization. American media compared the massacre to a fantasy sequence from the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries in which protagonist Leonardo DiCaprio wears a black trench coat and shoots six classmates in his school’s hallways. Several unsuccessful lawsuits against video game manufacturers were filed as a result by parents of some of the victims. Harris and Klebold were fans of the movie Natural Born Killers and used the film’s acronym NBK as a code in their home videos and journals.
As I continued my research, I found an article on USCF Today that compared video games to a substance abuse. Another website, a blog dedicated to coaching parents shares this discovery in a post from December 17th:
Japanese researchers found that playing computer games stunted the development of the frontal lobe of the brain in teenagers, which is a crucial part of developing impulse control. The tendency to lose control is not due to children absorbing the aggression involved in the computer game itself, as previous researchers have suggested, but rather to the damage done by stunting the developing mind.
As a final thought, let me share with you something that Andrew Pudewa revealed at the 2008 LEAH Convention in Rochester, NY. He and his wife have not raised their children with television or video games. (If I recall correctly, I think he also said they don’t even own a TV.) This was for the sole purpose of expanding the kids minds and helping them to learn to the best of their abilities. Instead of parking on the couch with their favorite movie in the evenings, they read or write, or do something else productive. When I first heard this, I remember thinking, Wow! A life with no TV. That seems a little extreme. But I’ve really began to see over the past year how even watching excessive television (whether violent or not) dulls the brain. Creativity sinks deeper and deeper into a hole as no attempt is made to use the brain, until finally, the creativity disappears. It is then replaced by laziness and lack of motivation, and can in turn result in violent behavior depending on the direct influence. It might sound crazy, but it’s a proven fact of life. Try spending one week without the daily ritual of TV, computer, or video games, and see what happens.
Mandee
