Times have changed. It was not that long ago that parents and children would play games in the car to pass the time—games like the license plate game, I Spy, or Twenty Questions. Portable DVD players eventually appeared on the scene and became so popular that car manufacturers began offering them as optional built-in accessories. Children could sit in the back seat and be mesmerized by movies for hours on end, much to the delight of mom and dad. Today it is not uncommon for children to be occupied—in the car and otherwise—with an electronic tablet or their parent’s cell phone. The digital age seems to have captured everyone’s attention, including toddlers. But is this a good thing?
No one disputes the advantages of technology: fine-motor skills are refined, and cause-and-effect is quickly learned. Toddlers and preschoolers are so fascinated with anything that can be manipulated—such as switches, buttons, and levers—that swiping and tapping quickly become second nature. Learning is apt to be improved and tiny users acquire skills at their own pace with an ever-increasing plethora of games, books, and educational applications being developed continuously.
The problem arises when a child spends too much time on an iPad or smart phone. A study done by Kaiser Family Foundation in 2012 revealed that school-age children spend an average of seven and one-half hours per day in front of a computer, a television, or an electronic device—seventy-seven minutes longer than when the study was initially conducted only five years prior! Experts are convinced that excessive screen time robs children of the hands-on creative play that is so essential for development. Backing up their claims is research that links young children who spend an excessive amount of time with electronic devices to delayed speech and language, strained eyes, dulled imaginations and decreased attentiveness to other incentives, as well as difficulty making real-world friends, obesity, and increased aggressiveness, often witnessed by temper tantrums and pouting when the stimuli of mom or dad’s smart phone is taken away.
So what is a parent to do? Experts agree that the most important thing is to set boundaries. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents should regulate the time their child spends with an iPad or smart phone instead of using it as a babysitter. It is much easier to set limits when a child is two years old than when he or she is twelve. In fact, the AAP suggests that children under the age of two be allowed no screen time whatsoever, and recommends that young children be limited to twenty to thirty minutes no more than twice a day. It is important to be firm in your resolve to set time limits, and do not be tempted to give in to temper tantrums or fussing. Instead, explain what the consequences will be if the rules are disobeyed. Above all, be consistent.
Other suggestions include not allowing cell phones at the dinner table or keeping all electronic devices in one location rather than being transported all over the house. And since children model behavior, parents should be aware of their own dependency upon technology. Instead, get involved, talk and play with your children! Encourage outdoor activities, get out the board games and puzzles, and nurture hobbies such as reading, drawing or collecting. Besides helping to develop important life skills such as communication, good manners, and the ability to occupy one’s self, hobbies that children enjoy when they are young are likely to interest them in their adulthood. And—no matter how “educational” it purports to be—there is absolutely no computer application that can claim all of that.