The pros and cons of gadgets when it comes to students mental health

According to the survey at the University of Southampton, 95% of college and university professors believe that gadgets increase their students’ engagement in lectures and allow them to obtain useful feedback about their academic progress. Only healthy and motivated students can be interested in lectures. So, does that mean that technology somehow impacts young people? Is it safe to say that in general gadgets can improve academic performance and mental health?

We will try to answer these questions based on our own research about gadget addiction, as well as numerous studies of the educational and psychological research institutions.

Positive effects of gadgets on students mental health

According to research, kids and teenagers ages 7 to 18 are estimated to spend an average of 8 hours a day watching TV, listening to music, and surfing the web. The numbers for time spent on mobile devices is even higher.

While many parents and professors may believe gadgets are a waste of time and serious distraction, experts insist that they can have a positive effect on a student’s emotional health. Gadgets can take the stress out of multitasking by letting students catch up with their homework assignments and part-time jobs. Additionally, technology can allow children to be more creative and open their mind to new possibilities.

While procrastination can cause students to miss an important deadline and receive a failing grade, now with the help of technology, students can sleep well knowing that their favorite calendar and to-do app will notify them of any approaching due date.

Finally, there are various educational apps and services that can help overwhelmed students deal with their academic assignments (one such service is CustomEssayMeister). Having overloaded schedules may prevent students from getting the desired grades and improving their performance. While some of the academic writing services can assist students with essay writing, others can guarantee fast and quality assistance with office suite applications such as Word, Excel, and even PowerPoint help. And quite a few of the students we interviewed report them being quite useful.

Those are the positive impact of gadgets on students. But what about the potential adverse consequences of over reliance on technology?

Possible adverse effects gadgets may have

So, what are some of the negative effects of technology on children? When it comes to school, the most obvious one is that devices can be a major source of distraction. Social networks can potentially be a place where children are bullied and of course over reliance on technology can possibly negatively affect a child’s ability to communicate in person.

As a parent, you need to enforce rules around technology, including when it can be used and when it can’t (e.g. you can only use the computer or iPad after homework is completed and not during dinner). Setting parameters for your kids relating to gadget usage is crucial. Teach your child the importance of good communication between people – and that sometimes, it’s best to say something and not type it.  

Of course, at the same time, you will still want to teach your child about technology, get them excited about its potential, and encourage them to explore, learn, and create–after all, it is the future. One thing is for sure though, it’s a balancing act.