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This book explores the pervasive impact of technology on the developing brains of young people. There is a growing body of research documenting ‘autistic’ like behaviours in children and adolescents as a function of their exposure to screen-based technologies. Contemporary research by the authors and others suggest that the omnipotence of screen devices with their 24/7 media rich environments are shaping young minds with long term outcomes that are potentially detrimental to several aspects of development. Moreover, given the rise in dominance of online social platforms in increasingly more aspects of day-to-day lives, it is important that society understand the generational impacts of screen-based social platforms. Importantly, the book also posits that questions need to be raised regarding the developmental trajectory of future generations who will be at the forefront of reshaping the social norms and expectations of society while offering a pathway to mitigate any developmental deficits.
Dr Michael C Nagel is Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia where teaches and researches in the areas of child and adolescent development, behaviour and learning. He has authored more than twenty books focusing broadly on aspects of educational psychology and child development.
Dr Rachael Sharman is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, where she specialises in the optimal and healthy development of the paediatric brain. She has published over 35 peer reviewed journal articles, three book chapters and one co-authored book.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Not a Blank Slate.- Chapter 2: Dude, Where’s My Frontal Lobe?.- Chapter 3: Living In Our Matrix.- Chapter 4: Screens are Changing the Brains of Children and Teens – And Not in a Good Way.- Chapter 5: Lost in the Glow.- Chapter 6: Social Media or Social Disease? Viruses of the Mind!.- Chapter 7: Unwanted Influence: Cyberbullying, Violence and the Radicalised Mind!.- Chapter 8: Misplaced Love, Lust and Intimacy.- Chapter 9: My Way or the Highway – The Lost Art of Debate, Compromise and Understanding One Another.- Chapter 10: Natural Buffers to Screen Disorders.
About the author
Dr Michael C Nagel is Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia where teaches and researches in the areas of child and adolescent development, behaviour and learning. He has authored more than twenty books focusing broadly on aspects of educational psychology and child development.
Dr Rachael Sharman is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, where she specialises in the optimal and healthy development of the paediatric brain. She has published over 35 peer reviewed journal articles, three book chapters and one co-authored book.
Summary
This book explores the pervasive impact of technology on the developing brains of young people. There is a growing body of research documenting ‘autistic’ like behaviours in children and adolescents as a function of their exposure to screen-based technologies. Contemporary research by the authors and others suggest that the omnipotence of screen devices with their 24/7 media rich environments are shaping young minds with long term outcomes that are potentially detrimental to several aspects of development. Moreover, given the rise in dominance of online social platforms in increasingly more aspects of day-to-day lives, it is important that society understand the generational impacts of screen-based social platforms. Importantly, the book also posits that questions need to be raised regarding the developmental trajectory of future generations who will be at the forefront of reshaping the social norms and expectations of society while offering a pathway to mitigate any developmental deficits.
