In far too many cases it lends itself to an avoidance response within the child to use the tools it provides to misdirect the use of one's time and necessary priorities. A good example would be the playing of games and nonproductively socializing instead of using the medium for constructive studying. The computer then becomes a one eyed monster with vocal cords instead of the asset it could be.
There is also the factor that repetitive multitasking tends to diminish one's ability to focus on a single task till completion. I have actually witnessed students doing their homework while watching television, texting on their cell phone, carrying on a dialogue with someone else in the room, chowing down, playing with their pet, and working a puzzle on their computer ALL AT THE SAME TIME. It is a habit like this that, more often than not, leads to poorer performance and grades in violation of the axiom As quantity increases, quality diminishes proportionally. Anything worth doing is worth doing well and focus, or the lack of it, is a key component in the achievement of excellence. When you try to do everything at once, you usually end up doing nothing of value to you in the long run. This may, in fact, be the hidden underbelly of the dumbing down of America;s children -- their lack of ability to focus on a single objective till they see it through to completion. Multitasking really is, in that sense, worthy of being ignored as a habit not worth acquiring.
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