More young children know how to operate a computer mouse than ride a bike as technology tightens its grip on the nation’s youth, researchers warn. And, while seven out of ten youngsters aged between two and five are comfortable playing on-line games, less than two in ten could swim unaided. The figures show that the traditional milestones which a child would expect to achieve are being replaced by digital ones. Parents are either too busy or too lazy to help their offspring to learn practical and physical skills – from riding a bike to tying their laces – often finding it simpler to sit them in front of a screen. Instead of experiencing the real world, children are copying their parents by tapping away on phones or keyboards – at the expense of their social and physical well-being. Child development expert Sue Palmer said that the figures showed we are ‘cooping children up inside’ more than ever.
有專家警告說，高科技數(shù)碼時代給下一代帶來的隱患必須得到社會各界的關注，因為當今兒童“高能弱智”的情況不容忽視，越來越多的小孩能夠玩轉電腦、最新的游戲而學不會傳統(tǒng)小孩應該會的騎單車、游泳等技能。據(jù)悉，年齡從2到5歲中70%的孩子更能輕松地玩網(wǎng)絡在線游戲，而與此同時，不到20%的孩子可以單獨游泳。這些數(shù)據(jù)顯示，兒童原本應該在幼年時代學會的技能逐漸被數(shù)碼電腦能力所完全取代。此外，對于這種高能弱智的情況，家長負有不可推卸的責任，他們或因工作太忙，無法親手教孩子一些動手課程，培養(yǎng)他們的動手習慣。所以，缺乏動手能力的孩子們選擇坐在電腦熒幕前輕松游戲，而非親身體驗世界就不是什么奇怪的事情了。有兒童發(fā)展專家Sue Palmer 說：“我們把孩子鎖在牢籠里，這種情況已經(jīng)十分嚴重了?！?/div>

According to the study, 23 per cent of children between two and five can make a call on a mobile phone and a quarter can navigate between websites with ease. One in five knew their way around smartphones or even an iPad. Two thirds knew how to turn a computer on and 73 per cent said they could work a mouse. When it came to real-life matters, however, the picture was very different. Just 48 per cent knew their own home address and only a third were able to write their first and last names.
根據(jù)調(diào)查，2到5歲的孩子中有23%的人可以正確的使用手機電話，25%的孩子可以自如在網(wǎng)絡中暢游。此外，有20%的孩子緊跟高科技的步伐，能正確使用智能手機以及蘋果電腦，超過70%的孩子能開電腦并使用鼠標。但是，當把孩子們從虛擬世界拉回現(xiàn)實生活中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，只有48%的孩子知道自己到底住在哪里，家庭地址在哪。只有三分之一的孩子能夠寫出自己的名字。

‘By encouraging them to live a virtual screen-based existence we are deadening their developmental drive and dumbing them down,’ she said. ‘They get used to the quick fix and the easy rewards of communicating with technology and don’t learn how to invest the emotional effort that is necessary for real relationships. ‘What they need is real play with real people in order to develop properly’.
此外，高科技對孩子們的弊端不容小視，因為有越來越多的孩子覺得何必要費勁在現(xiàn)實生活中花心思交朋友，因為有了網(wǎng)絡他們可以輕松自如地坐在電腦前和全世界虛擬朋友天南海北的聊天。屬于孩子們的應該是一個現(xiàn)實中的伙伴，只有把他們拉進現(xiàn)實生活中，才對他們的發(fā)展是有利的。