Computer as a Threat or an Opportunity for Development of Children

The omnipresence of the media is nowadays beyond doubt. We can say that in almost every area of life we now have to deal with the presence of newer and newer means of communication that are becoming the primary source of information about human life and the world. The interest in media begins in childhood through watching cartoons and movies shown on television, played by audiovisual equipment as well as acquired from the internet. In subsequent years, the scope of usage of a computer widens, and it itself becomes a valuable asset to education, often exceeding standards of aids received by conventional methods. An extremely important issue is the use of computer technology in expanding opportunities to uniform impact on different receptors. The learning process is being enhanced with new, hard to find in traditional teaching, means of visualization of encountered objects, for example by showing their dynamics as well as by revealing essential elements of the object. The use of the computer enables to widen the scope of exercises which develop manual dexterity and through the introduction of playful elements, makes them more attractive to children. The support of school lessons by the computer technology allows to run classes with a larger group of students. Also, learning at home with the computer is more attractive and significantly improves educational outcomes.Despite the undoubted benefits of using a computer, you cannot forget about many dangers, among which a risk of addiction, inability to function in the real world or entering into risky relations are becoming more and more common. Importantly, these dangers refer to a greater degree to children as their ability to control their behavior has not yet been developed.