Emmarentia Library recently hosted a learning and reading experience for children aged between 4 and 12 years. The City of Johannesburg’s Library and Information Services (LIS) provides citizens with access to education, lifelong learning and intellectual growth.

Emmarentia Library provided an inspirational and delightful setting for learners to experience a welcoming and peaceful ambience during a fun-filled educational storytime session on the impact of technology and social media on children.

While experts are beginning to understand the impact of social media and technology on children, it is evident that children under the age of 11 who use these platforms are more likely to engage in problematic digital behaviour such as having online-only friends and visiting sites parents would not approve, as well as a higher risk of participating in online harassment.

Limiting a child’s time spent on social media and technology may mitigate some of the negative consequences of using these platforms at such a young age, and it is important to teach children about both the advantages and disadvantages.

“The intention of the storytime session was to raise awareness of the hazards posed by social media and technology while also emphasizing on educational tools found online to enhance and support learning suitable for children,” said Zandile Shezi, a Librarian at Emmarentia Library.

“I enjoy engaging with young people. The highlight for me was the way they connected with so much energy while being able to encode and play at the same time; in terms of the theme, I certainly also learned a lot about social media and technology from the young minds,” she added.

As the school holidays draw nearer to a close, the City of Johannesburg encourages parents to drop off their children at the library for the fun-filled holiday programme where children can learn and be active in a safe environment.

Written by Ntombifuthi Junerose Nkosi

06/10/2022