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Kids today less able to read human emotions


Still Waters

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Children struggle to read emotions and are less empathetic than a generation ago because they spend too much time using tablets and smartphones, a leading psychiatrist has warned.

Iain McGilchrist said children as young as five were less able to read facial expressions because of too much interaction with technology.

http://www.telegraph...rns-expert.html

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The use of the internet and all of these devices sort of ruins chances of people relying on them to communicate 'face-to-face'.

I think kids in school should have some period of time where they are sort of 'tossed together' through lunch or activities in order to have more time to speak face-to-face with each other and learn how to communicate in person... Otherwise, they will never really know how to speak to another real person.

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No surprise to me....

Add :

Less courteous

Less respectful

Less Honest

Less Trustworthy

Less in Shape

Far more Lazy

It is sad.....

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Children struggle to read emotions and are less empathetic than a generation ago because they spend too much time using tablets and smartphones, a leading psychiatrist has warned.

Iain McGilchrist said children as young as five were less able to read facial expressions because of too much interaction with technology.

http://www.telegraph...rns-expert.html

I'm sorry to say this website will not let me read this article. It says

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I read a lot of articles online so maybe this will only happen to me. It seems I've "reached my limit" on this site :lol:

I will say that this indeed is sad. Children spend a lot less time interacting with each other learning social cues and how to express emotion and read others emotion and I agree that this is because of technology use.

Edited by She-ra
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No surprise to me....

Add :

Less courteous

Less respectful

Less Honest

Less Trustworthy

Less in Shape

Far more Lazy

It is sad.....

Do you think these specific issues you've said are related more to technology use or do you think that might be more parental issues? I know some very well behaved teen's and kids who are extremely into technology. I do agree 100% with a lack of some teen's/children and their ability to read others emotions though...I'm not sure about the other issues you mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised.
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Do you think these specific issues you've said are related more to technology use or do you think that might be more parental issues? I know some very well behaved teen's and kids who are extremely into technology. I do agree 100% with a lack of some teen's/children and their ability to read others emotions though...I'm not sure about the other issues you mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised.

I am not saying all kids, but a lot more than my time for sure. And yes, technology.

We tubed down the truckee river in the summer for fun, played football, went hunting and fishing, biking, motorcycle riding, camping, etc......Now, it is sitting in front of the xbox or playstations....I think a lot of that teaches many things that kids today are not getting.( the outdoors, and no technology )

As for TV back then, most of us were only allowed a certain amount of time watching. That was a rule.

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I am not saying all kids, but a lot more than my time for sure. And yes, technology.

We tubed down the truckee river in the summer for fun, played football, went hunting and fishing, biking, motorcycle riding, camping, etc......Now, it is sitting in front of the xbox or playstations....I think a lot of that teaches many things that kids today are not getting.( the outdoors, and no technology )

As for TV back then, most of us were only allowed a certain amount of time watching. That was a rule.

Yes I think we're from the same generation - or close at least. I see what you are saying. I do think that a lot of that has to do with how a child is raised though. I do miss the good old days and how things used to be sometimes but I would NEVER want to give up the advances I've lived thru with technology. Maybe I'm too optimistic but I think and have seen kids these days who are very well behaved and are totally into today's technology; games and social media and whatnot. I do worry about the social interaction part though and how kids today just don't seem to experience life the way we did...but I guess that can be said of our generation too. We didn't experience things the way *our* parents did either. Time marches on and everything changes around us. We just have to go with the flow...:lol: But yes, I do understand what you are saying :tu:
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As society changes, the members of that society change with it. I would think if we went back 150 years, we would be surprised at the differences between us and those who lived then.

Edited by StarMountainKid
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Can't say I agree at all, based on my experience.

I am semi-retired and spend a great deal of time, weeks to months on end with my nine year old and his friends and school mates and I find kids that I've been exposed to anyway, to be quite savvy, empathetic and many of them used to routinely surprise me with their insights. I'm no longer surprised by it as it's become just part of the process.

I've spent the last thirty years or so, starting in my late teens, studying Eastern and Western philosophy, mysticism, meditation and martial arts.

Now there are three kids at his school, who are doing their best to turn the clock back for everyone into violence and pure nasty intent, but that's out of hundreds.

Perhaps there's just something in the water here, but I don't think so... sounds to me like the common process of adults, who are not relating to where and how the next generation are spending their time, judging it as 'the highway to hell'.

My two cents.

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Can't say I agree at all, based on my experience.

I am semi-retired and spend a great deal of time, weeks to months on end with my nine year old and his friends and school mates and I find kids that I've been exposed to anyway, to be quite savvy, empathetic and many of them used to routinely surprise me with their insights. I'm no longer surprised by it as it's become just part of the process.

I've spent the last thirty years or so, starting in my late teens, studying Eastern and Western philosophy, mysticism, meditation and martial arts.

Now there are three kids at his school, who are doing their best to turn the clock back for everyone into violence and pure nasty intent, but that's out of hundreds.

Perhaps there's just something in the water here, but I don't think so... sounds to me like the common process of adults, who are not relating to where and how the next generation are spending their time, judging it as 'the highway to hell'.

My two cents.

I wasn't actually able to read the article because of the problem I had with that site not allowing me access so I can't comment on *that* just what other members have posted on this thread.

I love the fact you are able to spend so much time with your 9 year old and the friends :tu: I think that's awesome. Again, that's why I bring up parental involvement.

I don't know. Maybe it's the mix of technology and certain parents not taking that extra time, like you have done, to pull them out of the technology and into real life situations to experiment with their feelings and being empathetic with those around them?

Well, I think I've added enough to this thread but it does give me some great things to think about. Thanks everyone :tu:

PS: Edited to add...I loved your 2 cents ;)

Edited by She-ra
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We just have to go with the flow...

No we do not... :innocent:

People can still go out and enjoy the out doors. People can monitor their time on game consoles, and phones. People could still meet their neighbors and say hello. People can still talk face to face.....

We do not have to change with the times, some people choose to. To me, because of laziness.....

Let's go tubing !!!!

.

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No we do not... :innocent:

People can still go out and enjoy the out doors. People can monitor their time on game consoles, and phones. People could still meet their neighbors and say hello. People can still talk face to face.....

We do not have to change with the times, some people choose to. To me, because of laziness.....

Let's go tubing !!!!

.

True. I'm game 2rhmltu.jpg
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Do you think these specific issues you've said are related more to technology use or do you think that might be more parental issues? I know some very well behaved teen's and kids who are extremely into technology. I do agree 100% with a lack of some teen's/children and their ability to read others emotions though...I'm not sure about the other issues you mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised.

i think it's both.. not only the kids are interacting less with people, so are their parents. People work in front of screens or machines and interact less with their coworkers than we used to. Much less working shoulder to shoulder and interacting with one another to accomplish the work.

People, including kids, don't talk to each other at lunch or at home or whatever as much as we used to because the TV's on and most people are fiddling with their gadgets .

People turn the tunes up in the car , so much for conversation. I'm always amazed at how people turn on the TV , or radio, or go online the instant they walk in their house, or get in the car, It seems many have become so accustomed to NOISE and Stimulation that silence seems to bother them.

*LOL .. i type this while my wife watches the Tigers !*

Edited by lightly
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Or maybe some people are finding out they aren't as interesting or important as they like to believe.

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Parents should make their children shut off those devices every so often and engage in outdoor activities.

But when you see a lot of adults using their gadgets just as much, monkey see monkey do.

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Or maybe some people are finding out they aren't as interesting or important as they like to believe.

I lean more towards this.

Each generation has disliked the next one. It's the march of humanity, I'm sure that if there were message boards when our parent's and their parents were around there would've been studies that said similar things then too.

That's not to say that dependence on technology isn't a potential problem. But it's part of the process of social evolution.

As usual I think the truth of the matter lies somewhere in between the two standpoints in this

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I'll tell this true story again. in 1949 a Hollywood studio was filming a scene where a man was walking through a New York neighborhood. Women were sitting on the stoops of their apartment buildings talking, men were on the sidewalk chatting, children were playing in the street, teenagers were gathered on street corners, the little neighborhood was full of people.

A few years later, the studio wanted to film a similar scene for a different movie. When the movie crew showed up at the same location, no one was around, the sidewalk was empty of people, no children playing, no teenagers gathered together. It was like the neighborhood had been evacuated. It was spooky.

They went to another street, the same thing, absolutely empty of people, no one anywhere.

The film crew couldn't figure out where all the people who had been there a couple years before were, until the Director suddenly understood..."Television," he said.

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I'll tell this true story again. in 1949 a Hollywood studio was filming a scene where a man was walking through a New York neighborhood. Women were sitting on the stoops of their apartment buildings talking, men were on the sidewalk chatting, children were playing in the street, teenagers were gathered on street corners, the little neighborhood was full of people.

A few years later, the studio wanted to film a similar scene for a different movie. When the movie crew showed up at the same location, no one was around, the sidewalk was empty of people, no children playing, no teenagers gathered together. It was like the neighborhood had been evacuated. It was spooky.

They went to another street, the same thing, absolutely empty of people, no one anywhere.

The film crew couldn't figure out where all the people who had been there a couple years before were, until the Director suddenly understood..."Television," he said.

This sounds like a similar story my mother told me. Back in the 1940's she lived in the country and her and parents

went to town once a month to shop. While they were in town they would visit with everyone in town on the streets,

in cafes and parks. Back then people were glad to see each other and visit because of the isolation when they lived

out in the country. Now with modern technology we isolate ourselves and self entertain via TV, Facebook or other

social media. Even if we take our mobile devices out in public we still isolate ourselves by looking or texting on them

rather then making verbal conversation to the person next to us.

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Do you think these specific issues you've said are related more to technology use or do you think that might be more parental issues? I know some very well behaved teen's and kids who are extremely into technology. I do agree 100% with a lack of some teen's/children and their ability to read others emotions though...I'm not sure about the other issues you mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised.

Well said Shera, Hmmm, I do not see evidence of this at all. In fact, I see great value in technology. I am a learning coach, I work with teens. The kids nowadays who use it a lot are so in tune with others; I am astounded at how much. I think it's because of technology. I'd say they are smarter too, they aren't socializing less, they are socializing more. There is so much more quality exposure. For example: one of the teen girls I work with was horribly bullied after the death of her beloved grandfather (who raised her) at brick and mortar the kids lacked understanding and empathy ( many called her a liar said she was making it up to get attention) talk about poor social skills, and it caused her to withdraw and isolate from her peers, which in a sense was delaying her social maturity. I have had her a year and a half, she is on social media the most and from there made all new friends, joined anti bullying groups, and is literally more mature and socially adept, then she was a year ago. With social media they can create more of the support they need then just being limited to what is available at school. Teens need to feel they belong, that they matter, it is so important for their well being.

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Every generation faces its own unique problems and challenges. The rise of electronic communication and associated areas clearly represents a major challenge for the current generation. That is what life is about.

I still remember when TV was the major social problem, preventing children from playing and inter-reacting. Never try to solve the next generation's problems for them. You don't understand and anyway they will hate you for it!

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