Some parents are giving their infants devices like phones and tablets to play on, or sitting them in front of a TV to keep them entertained. At a young age children need human interaction in order to build the basic skills needed in life. According to pediatricians, babies under two years of age shouldn't be using any type of electronics. Some people believe that giving infants interactive games are helpful for babies, however according to pediatricians, babies younger than two don't have the mind capacity necessary for taking the information given in the game, and using it in real life. At around 3-5 years of age, it is okay to give them electronics with interactive games, because it can help them build memory skills and introduce them to basic math and other subjects at a young age. I have seen parents give their infants their phones during dinner to keep them quit rather than playing with or interacting with the baby.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/10/21/498550475/american-academy-of-pediatrics-lifts-no-screens-under-2-rule
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/13/bringing-up-baby-on-the-iphone/babies-need-real-interaction-that-isnt-possible-with-software
Kaleb Stephenson
I understand that some parents have the intention of giving their phones or tablets to their young children to help them learn and progress more but I think that it does more harm than good in most cases. At first, it's used as an important tool but because kids are naturally very curious, they have the tendency to wander around and look for things that might provide more amusement. After a while, the scenario you mentioned of parents using electronics in order to appease the kids instead of physically interacting with them happens more frequently. It turns out to be more of a distraction rather than a helpful device. We see it a lot nowadays which could also cause us to wonder how the next generations will function if our generation's already so attached to technology as-is.
ReplyDeleteTechnology sadly is meant to be a distractions for kids of all ages. I think it is horrible because I see the affects of it within my own family as my cousins of all ages can't even sit down and enjoy a meal and have a discussion because they are on FaceTime, Snapchat, Netflix, or some other sort of applications. Even my own mom is sometimes too distracted on her phone to have a conversation with me about how my day is going and I hate it, although beneficial technology has taken away many important aspects of human interaction.
ReplyDeleteI also see parents and other adults constantly on their phones texting their friends or posting, commenting, and liking Facebook posts. I feel like this makes it harder for children to listen to their parents when they are told to get off their phones and go outside. I find it is difficult to have a simple conversation with my mom because she will ask a question, and after I give a response she continues to stare at her phone for another 10 minutes before responding to me. I believe that if parents want their children to use their phones, tablets and other devices, less, they should do the same.
DeleteI highly agree with both of you. I find it very hypocritical when parents tell kids that we spend too much time on our phones and then turn around and watch the video their friend just posted on Facebook. I think if parents want their children to be less involved in technology, they need to set the example. Maybe instead of giving a kid a phone at the dinner table because they are being too disruptive, include them in the conversation? There are also plenty of different options to give a toddler to expand their minds besides a screen.
DeleteI agree with the argument that you are making against children who are givin the privilege to use electronics at such an young age. I do believe that a child shouldn't start using electronics or become overwhelmed with technology such as TV till the age of 8-10. And I say this because a Childs braid isn't fully developed till the age of 5, and filling their minds with something so useless to life is unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaleb one hundred percent on this topic. Young children shouldn’t be allowed to have or own any kind of phone, ipad, and or tablet. At this young age children should be outside playing, getting dirty, finger painting, working on their gross motor skills. My mom was a preschool teacher for twelve years. She would always complain how the students always came in to class holding some sort of device in their hands. Watching a video or playing a game. They’re conversations would be about the video games and movies they watch on their tablet or parent’s phones. I have walked into restaurants, stores, parks, even theme parks and a good majority of the kids would be glued to some sort of device instead of playing and being a kid. When parents need their phones back they would whine, cry or throw a tantrum. I can understand how parents use these devices to get some minutes to themselves, to get stuff done, and run errands but it should be limited. I will say that to many parents do abuse the time their kids are given with technology. These children aren’t given a time limit and use up most of their day glued to their parents devices. I go outside and hardly see kids playing in their front yards anymore. Parents don’t realize that they’re making their children dependent on technology and the fact of the matter is they’re starting at a very young age.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even think of that until you mentioned it, but kids really don't go outside and play as much as they used to, even parks seem so much emptier than they were when I was younger.
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