Tablets for toddlers
Dubbed a digital pacifier, iPads are taking kindergarten by storm.
Tablets are among the most-wanted Christmas gift for kids ages 6 to 12, according to The Nielsen Company. Marketers are feverishly creating apps for kids and tots, and parents are reporting that their toddlers use iPad on a daily basis, while fighting their siblings for it.
Is the gadget something parents should bust their budgets to buy? And what impact does it have on their development?
If you are buying it just because it’s the newest thing they want, then you may want to be more mindful.
“Adding digital devices to your household is concerning no matter what the age of the children,” says Sophia Pierroutsakos, Ph.D. “With older pre-teens and teenagers, if you’re already concerned about the amount of time spent texting, gaming, Web-surfing, Facebooking, YouTubing and watching movies and TV instead of interacting with family and friends or being active outdoors, do you want to introduce yet another device?”
If you’re giving an iPad for an educational benefit, you may want to check out the research first.
“Studies have repeatedly proven that 3-diminsional human interactions, especially with parents, stimulate babies and children to learn and grow. And 2-diminsional screens keep them from that critical human activity,” Pierroutsakos says.
According to the American Pediatric Association, babies up to age 2 should have no screen time at all. For older kids, one to two hours of quality programming per day is recommended as a limit.
So save your money. Skip the tablet for the kids.
