When we think of Christmas, it is the stereotypical image of children waking up their parents in the morning so they can open their gifts of new toys. But this image is growing more and more away from reality.

Nowadays there are less and less children playing with toys, who are more often seen playing on their Xboxes, tablets and all electronics. So in return, most children want video games and electronics for Christmas rather than Legos and teddy bears.

And even if you aren’t a parent, we all have a kid in our lives, be it little siblings or nieces and nephews. So we all have a connection to these issues.

Of course the internet can connect more people and kids being on the internet helps make a more connected world a reality, but the cost is the children have less people to play with physically, which hinders them physically and socially.

Once people think about it, social awkwardness is becoming more common.The issue of social awkwardness stems from a lack of real social interaction which is a byproduct of being on technology.

Technology also doesn’t help with overall physical health, with more children staying inside and playing without using anything other than their fingers. According to Digital Responsibility, staying on technology for too long will lead to eye and ear problems such as eyestrain and hearing loss. This sounds like angry parents yelling at their child to go get some fresh air, but these new generations are spending less time outside and more time at home.

A small, but major, problem is that children today are becoming less creative. With the world given to them on a small screen, what’s the use of creating one of their own with toys? We see kids now looking up on the internet answers that can easily be figured out with a bit of patience and creativity.

Giving children electronics isn’t a bad thing, however technology is good in moderation, much like all the good things in life. Connecting with different people through the internet is a great thing. And since the world is moving forward with technology everyday, it’s good to keep our kids up to date on what the world has to offer. According to Techwalla, technology has helped us reach the masses in a more cost effective way.

Personally this doesn’t give parents an excuse for us to give children technology rather than physical toys.

The reason that giving kids toys rather than electronics for Christmas is better is because they help kids get over these problems that electronics bring up.

Rather than seeing children play by themselves, they’re out playing ball with their friends or shooting each other with nerf guns, making and sustaining friendships. And rather than sitting on a couch for countless hours, they’re running around with their new action figures.

The issues that are relevant now due to electronics aren’t only contained in one moment but are long term. That’s why discussing these issues is very important during the rise of the Christmas shopping season.

It’s going to be hard to fix, with most people living in the digital wonderland that we do live in, but limiting, not entirely taking out electronics will help our children live a healthy life. And a small step to doing this is by not buying them video games or the latest iPad for Christmas.