CHILDREN’s INVOLVEMENT IN DIGITAL SPACE: GADGETIZATION TRENDS AND THREATS TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The development of digital economy and information and communication technologies places high demands on the professional competencies of modern workers. For successful socialization and pre-professional training of an individual, the basis of user digital skills should be laid in childhood. The purpose of this article was to analyze the characteristics of children's use of "smart" technology and digital resources in everyday life and their impact on the human potential of children. The information base was the results of the sociological survey of parents of children aged 3-17 years, as well as the cohort monitoring wave “Study of conditions for the formation of a healthy generation”, conducted in 2018 in the territory of the Vologda region. The study found that the most popular and frequently used by children kinds of "smart" technology and digital resources are the Internet, a personal computer and a smartphone that provide access to the Internet. At the same time, children spend most of their time on the Internet, which is accessed via smartphones. Network resources are used by children primarily for the purpose of communication, searching for information for carrying out educational tasks and viewing entertainment content. At the same time, the use of social networks and instant messengers has become widespread among teenagers. On the one hand, the use of digital technologies contributes to the better development of intellectual skills and human potential of children, on the other hand, carries risks of information security, early involvement in the digital space, conflict of educational and communication interests and, as a result, decline in academic performance and deterioration of health.