6 Negative Impacts of Technology in Education

Jun 18

The use of technology in school has been an ongoing debate for many years. Over the years, humans have begun relying more on technology, which may not always be good. Many people, including myself, think technology has worsened the school environment. As such, being aware of the influences that technology has on our society can improve our situation. Considering this, read on to learn about technology's negative impacts on education.

1. Cost of Equipment

Technology is costly; this is something we all understand. Before computers and cell phones were invented, students and teachers used only paper and pen. But with the introduction of computers, students have the internet at their disposal. However, equipment costs are growing with every new launch of products, like newer laptop and tablet models. The newer and better the model is, the higher the price. With the growing use of tech, governments are having to spend thousands of dollars to buy equipment for schools to use.

2. Ease of Cheating

With the arrival of the internet and its endless stream of knowledge came abuse of the information. Many people use the internet and technology for school because the internet is one of the best sources of information that exists. You may think that is a good thing; however, people may use this knowledge to cheat. With schools now relying heavily on technology, cheating the system or looking for information to copy is even easier. A big part of cheating is the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With tools like ChatGPT, anyone with access to the internet can utilize the software to write essays or complete assignments.

3. Source of Distraction

Do you know what a teacher’s worst nightmare is? Cell phones. How many times have you or a friend been caught on your phone during class? Some students don’t use them for research, but for browsing social media or playing games. From my experience, many students don’t pay attention in class, instead opting to distract themselves with viral videos. It has become an addiction at this point, with millions of people using social media. This has resulted in a social media addiction, with millions of people using platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

4. Procrastination

You may think that laziness is a common trait today. A study shows that about half of the American population in 2015 (with 63% being millennials) viewed the average American citizen as lazy. However, this is not true. It all boils down to procrastination. Procrastination is the habit of delaying or putting things off for extended periods of time. Excessive use of technology ties into this habit as well. From my experience, one of the most common forms of procrastination for students is scrolling through social media feeds, which can be a big distraction.

5. Loss of Creativity

Creativity is limited these days. There are thousands of templates for various uses, like slideshow templates where you can copy and paste your information. Technology has a huge influence on us as individuals, shaping our very being through the media we consume. This means that when we see something that we find appealing, we will try to replicate it to a certain degree.

6. Abundance of Misinformation

Anyone can post anything they want on the internet and no one would be able to tell if it is true. Most people don’t take the time to check the sources, assuming that the information is credible. Additionally, through the latest artificial intelligence software, websites and articles can be entirely made up, promoting the spread of misinformation.

Excessive technology use in education can be very frustrating. But that isn’t to say that technology hasn’t been a huge help for us as well. Using the latest technology, scientists can do all sorts of things that we couldn’t have imagined doing hundreds of years ago. By being aware of our excessive use of tech, we can help mitigate the negative effects for future generations.

Belle T.