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.
有专家警告说，高科技数码时代给下一代带来的隐患必须得到社会各界的关注，因为当今儿童“高能弱智”的情况不容忽视，越来越多的小孩能够玩转电脑、最新的游戏而学不会传统小孩应该会的骑单车、游泳等技能。据悉，年龄从2到5岁中70%的孩子更能轻松地玩网络在线游戏，而与此同时，不到20%的孩子可以单独游泳。这些数据显示，儿童原本应该在幼年时代学会的技能逐渐被数码电脑能力所完全取代。此外，对于这种高能弱智的情况，家长负有不可推卸的责任，他们或因工作太忙，无法亲手教孩子一些动手课程，培养他们的动手习惯。所以，缺乏动手能力的孩子们选择坐在电脑荧幕前轻松游戏，而非亲身体验世界就不是什么奇怪的事情了。有儿童发展专家Sue Palmer 说：“我们把孩子锁在牢笼里，这种情况已经十分严重了。”

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.
根据调查，2到5岁的孩子中有23%的人可以正确的使用手机电话，25%的孩子可以自如在网络中畅游。此外，有20%的孩子紧跟高科技的步伐，能正确使用智能手机以及苹果电脑，超过70%的孩子能开电脑并使用鼠标。但是，当把孩子们从虚拟世界拉回现实生活中，我们发现，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够写出自己的名字。

‘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，高科技对孩子们的弊端不容小视，因为有越来越多的孩子觉得何必要费劲在现实生活中花心思交朋友，因为有了网络他们可以轻松自如地坐在电脑前和全世界虚拟朋友天南海北的聊天。属于孩子们的应该是一个现实中的伙伴，只有把他们拉进现实生活中，才对他们的发展是有利的。