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Virtual Reality Handicaps Personal Growth

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DOMENICK J. MAGLIO

Neo Traditionalist

Published: March 20, 2009

Computers have been a marvelous advancement in technology. Businesses are able to track inventory, do their own bookkeeping and marketing through the magic of their fingers.

Individuals can effectively use their computers to research instantaneously anything and everything simply by using a search engine. This means knowledge and detailed facts that in the past would take hours to find in the library can now be easily accessed. People can file information, send and receive e-mails; use Photoshop to make creative products that in the recent past could only be accomplished by a printer. The impact of the computer in our daily lives is only limited by our own imagination.

A small number of modern parents have advanced their computer skills from the once primitive model. The majority of them are having difficulty keeping up with the learning curve needed for job advancement and placement. Today's children, who have been brought up with the computer, do not fear it and view it as a natural part of daily life.

Parents are under the impression since their preschooler is able to access the computer and play games, his future is insured. They see their child's computer skills as a sign of superior intelligence and future job advancement. This belief causes parents to promote computer use without hesitation in their child's life.

This is a mistake.

The future positive aspects of the computer cannot yet be fully appreciated while the negative impact especially on children has gone under the radar screen. Most adults understand the seductive power of the ever-advancing technology in their daily lives. Their eyestrain constantly reminds them of the excessive time devoted to this activity. Too much of anything can cause an imbalance in a person's life.

Computer addiction should be considered frightening. Immersing oneself in the computer robs the person of experiencing everyday life. Adults can find it to be a pleasant diversion but for children it can usher them into a fantasy world handicapping them from becoming healthy adults.

The computer is today what the television was to past generations, but the highly interactive aspect of the computer is far more dangerous. Computers are able to capture more of our senses than was television, allowing people to feel they are creating their own world. The younger the person is when he has this experience, the more perilous it is. Existing in a virtual reality world does not allow the person to face and learn from the real world of hard knocks. Instead of learning to deal with the painful and unpredictable situations that arise, they hide out in a self-made, predictable world that they can control without grasping many lessons taught by everyday living.

In the early tender years of their lives, children are forming the habits and people skills that will shape their future. They are learning to listen to and express themselves with peers and adults in various settings. Eating, sleeping and activity schedules have to be established for their physical, social and mental well-being. Children need to run around with their siblings and friends developing fine and gross motor skills and stamina. Most importantly children interacting informally with others define and refine their own personalities. Children need to live in a real world.

Instead children stuck in virtual reality remain clueless about "people skills" and their inappropriateness in social situations. They choose to retreat back into the safety of the computer avoiding the problems of reality. They become fragile people instead of developing into strong ones.

As preteens, many children come home from school, log on and spend all night, even eating dinner at the computer. There is no exercise, no homework and no family interaction. The computer is their total life and is abusive to their development.

In addition to video games, there are booming network Web sites like LinkedIn, MySpace and FaceBook. This networking allows young people to waste their time developing phony friends with anonymous people. This is called "friending." The negative impact of this diversion from the necessary building blocks of spiritual, social and academic skills and habits is creating dysfunctional people. They are susceptible to mental health dependency.

As with any addiction, there are people who are recognizing their own problem. They are voluntarily giving up video games and the networking sites in exchange for a healthier life. They are spending more time with family, academic studies and physical activities.

Let all sensible Americans support children and parents in this grassroots movement to put the computer back into proper perspective. Parents should house the computer in the middle of the living area to monitor and limit its use. This will create a natural balance with the child's other important activities leading to a more vibrant, well rounded and fully functioning adult.

Dr. Domenick J. Maglio, Ph. D., is the author of "Invasion Within" and "Essential Parenting." He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School. Visit: www.drmaglio.com.

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