CTS 1000 Final Project

Isabella is six years old and has a very active imagination. She loves to play pretend and her favourite game to play is pretending to be a dinosaur! Her favourite dinosaur is the T-rex. She just loves how tiny their hands are! One Saturday afternoon Isabella is bored and wants her Dad to tell her a story. [[Next->What do I do?]]

Isabella and her father go to look up dinosaur videos on the family tablet and also find some neat cartoon videos about T-rexes! [[Next->VideoConsequence1]]

Isabella's father ignored her so she's sad. Isabella cries for the rest of the night. [[Next->bad end2]]

Isabella's Dad is very busy with work but also gets very little time to hang out and play with his daughter. When Isabella came into his office to ask if he could tell her a story he was very excited! The only problem was he couldn't decide what method of storytelling to use. What should Isabella's father do? [[Use the family tablet to watch videos. ->Video Route]] [[Ignore her. He's busy. ->Bad End]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX==")[= [#Let's Learn With Isabella] [[Start Story->Can You Tell Me a Story?]]

Isabella loved learning through the videos her and her dad watched! The next day she decides to explore even more technology. She discovers that some of her friends at school have smartphones and they tell her that their phones are really useful for learning. They're like tiny computers to carry around in their pockets! Isabella is instantly hooked on the idea. When she goes home later that day she decides that she will ask her Dad if he could get one for her, for learning purposes. Isabella's father knows that six years old is very young to be having a smartphone but he is also aware that it could provide some very good learning opportunities for his daughter. You are Isabella's Dad. Do you... [[Hear Isabella out on her reasons she needs a cellphone? -> positive impacts]] [[Deny Isabella's request and explain why she can't have a cellphone? -> negative impacts]]

"Okay," Isabella's father says. "Why do you think it is important for you to have a smartphone right now?" Isabella is ecstatic! She wasn't sure if her father would even listen to her. She goes on to explain the benefits of her getting a smartphone. [[Next -> nextpositiveimpacts]]

Isabella's Dad needs to think about how he will go about explaining his reasons to his daughter. He knows about how mobile and cordless phones emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation and how it is unknown what effects this radiation can have on the adolescent brain. This is especially since the brain is the primary target of RF radiation. (National Library of Medecine) But, he also knew that depending on the context of use the impact of smartphones on children can vary. (US National Library of Medecine National Institutes of Health) After thinking on this some more, Isabella's Dad is still not quite sure about what to say to his daughter. Should he... [[Hear her out instead. She's clearly thought a lot about this and it's possible that he has not thought of everything. -> positive impacts]] [[Stick to his first decision of not getting her a cellphone -> nextnegativeimpacts]]

"Did you know that more than half of kids under the age of 11 have smartphones now?" (Concordia University) Isabella asks her Dad. "I could be part of that majority!" "It's true that people are looking into the negative impacts of smartphone usage in kids nowadays more than the positive impacts so it's hard to concretely say all the benefits of me getting one but with a smartphone I could easily access all kinds of information that I could use in school!" Isabella continues. "Also, did you know that in an article published by USA Today they did a survey that led to the exposure of may teachers' beliefs that smartphones in the classroom can be really useful!" "People like the vice president for Common Sense Education in the San Francisco Bay Area named Liz Kline thought that smartphones in the classroom can be very useful and can provide a lot more access to children with less access to the internet and stuff like that," (USA Today) Isabella says. [[Next -> nextnextpositiveimpacts]]

"Also, if I get a smartphone then I can better learn //self-sufficiency//, //digital literacy//, and //I can have better access to emergency services//." "With the guidance of parents like you Dad, and support from my teachers and other important adults in my life I can be sure to learn these amazing tools which will better my life and my self regulation in the future!" Isabella finishes her explanation at this point. Her father sits for a moment and thinks before answering. What does he do? [[Deny her request and explain why you are concerned about her getting one -> negative impacts]] [[Deny her request but suggest an alternative -> ending 1]] [[Accept her request -> ending 2]]

"I'm sorry Isabella. I see that you've done a lot of research and you're really committed to this idea but I still think that you are far too young to have a smartphone." Isabella's Dad says. "One point did really stick out to me though and that was you being able to contact emergency services. So long as your other Dad agrees, I think it would be possible for us to give you an old cellphone for the sole purpose of contacting us and emergency services. You won't be able to use this phone for school or with your friends but you'll have the peace of mind that you can always call for help if you ever need to." He continues. "I love you sweetie, and we'll talk about getting you a smartphone when you're a little older." He states. Isabella is clearly a little upset but she understands where her father is coming from. "Okay Daddy. Thank you!" She says with a smile. [[End -> Ending]]

"Okay Isabella." Her father says. "It's clear that you've thought a lot about this and since you're clearly very invested in the idea I'll get you one. But, you need to understand why I'm still hesitant. There has been a lot more research done on the negative impacts that smartphones have on children rather than the positive impacts so I'll be watching over you a lot since you're still so young and in case I start to see negative side effects. I will try my best to guide you." "I want you to be happy and healthy. This phone I will be getting you will be only for school, contacting your father and I, and God forbid for contacting emergency services should you or a friend need them." Isabella's father says. "Okay Dad! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!" Isabella exclaims. [[End -> Ending]]

You have reached the end of this story. The information compiled in this interactive story game was thanks to several articles and research compiled through news sources and research groups. I would have liked to elaborate on the positive and negative impacts of technology use by children uder the age of 16 given more time and resources. I would have also liked to make this game look more visually appealing given more time to understand this program and the coding involved. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge that this is a work of fiction with real research points accredited to the researchers and journals credited in the bibliography in MLA format on the following screen. This game is the creative property of Jessie Pajak. [[Back to Start ->Title Page]] [[Bibliography -> Bibliography]]

Bibliography Source type: MLA Baig, Edward C. “Cellphones at School: Should Your Kid Have One?” USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2018, eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2018/08/14/should- smartphones-allowed-classroom/959154002. Concordia University. “The Effect of Smartphones on Child Development | CUNE Online.” Concordia University, Nebraska, 28 Feb. 2020, www.cune.edu/academics/resource-articles/examining-effect-smartphones- child-development. Hardell, Lennart. “Effects of Mobile Phones on Children’s and Adolescents’ Health: A Commentary.” National Library of Medicine, 15 May 2017, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28504422. Hosokawa, Rikuya, and Toshiki Katsura. “NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 25 July 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6059409. Prout, Todd. “The Negative Effects of Technology on Children.” National University, 13 May 2021, www.nu.edu/resources/negative-effects-of- technology-on-children-what-can-you-do. [[Back to Start ->Title Page]]

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Isabella's Dad has finally decided on how he can explain this to his daughter. "Sweetie, while I see and understand how strongly you feel about this I need you to understand that it does not make sense for you to have a smartphone at this time. We can talk about this again when you are older but it just isn't the time." Isabella's Dad says. "But why Dad?" Isabella asks. "Because, there's a lot of downsides and unknown risks to you getting a smartphone right now. The physiological and psychological affects on you and other kids your age is unknown since yours would be the first and youngest generation to be growing up surrounded and using the type of technology that you already are," he responds. [[Next -> nextnextnegativeimpacts]]

"Also, for adults, the ways in which we interact with others has changed through the use of smartphones and social media, it makes us not as socially interactive and in social settings we are often put off and don't know how to react around others in person. I grew up without a smartphone and I am struggling with stuff like this so I only fear what will happen to your social comfortability and interactions in the future if you start using a smartphone at your current age," (National University) Isabella's Dad continues. "Okay Dad. I get it. I'm not really happy about it but I understand that you are explaining this to me and not allowing me to get a phone because you care about me." Isabella says. "Thanks honey." Isabella's Dad says. "I promise we will talk about you getting one when you're older." He concludes. [[End -> Ending]]