Influence of the New Media on Children's Play

The development of technology affects all spheres of human life, including children's play. The changes resulting from the fast development of technology and new media leave a huge dent in the process of children's play. This paper tends to answer the question how the development of technology and new media influences the changes in the context of children's play, whether the new media has become just a good excuse for some other, deeper social changes taking place in a society and influencing all segments of human life, including children. It is concluded that, with the development of technology, children's play has evolved in another direction, a direction that has not been sufficiently explored, often unfavourably judged and blamed for all the negative changes in children's life. A basic developmental characteristic of children is their openness to something new and different. Children are by nature explorers who investigate everything in their environment and beyond. The possibilities of technology and new media in children's play are just another segment that requires exploration and investigation, and that is interesting for children to research. Simplicity and openness to new things is something one needs to appreciate and nurture in children. On the trail of these changes adults are faced with new tasks, such as showing complete openness to new things and discarding all prejudices, limitations and ignorance. When all of this is behind us, we can help children get into great exploration of the new media as a new and inevitable part of their new play. Accepting the strong impact of the new media on children's play allows us a certain amount of control over the quality of play in order to protect children. Technology and the new media have become part of children's play, of the way children play in the 21st century.