Thinking Twice About Tablets for Kids
When we were little, all we used to need for Christmas was our front teeth and a toy—something like Lincoln Logs, Play-Doh, and perhaps a Barbie Doll, too. Not a lot anymore, though. It seems the manifestations of formative years have fallen by the wayside, with youngsters, like their adult counterparts, hunkering down for electronics: smartphones, e-book readers, and tablets.
Retrevo asked adults what they desired most this holiday season, and it was no longer pretty; 20% stated a tablet—an iPad or Kindle Fire. Smart telephones followed.
And the one’s sweets now have double responsibility as uncontested child magnets, and toy producers are getting the message and jumping on the bandwagon.
Indeed, a recent Nielson survey observed that approximately 44% of 6—to 12-year-olds want an iPad. Yes, you read that successfully. Even six-—to 12-month-olds need in on the movement. Meanwhile, 30% of surveyed children have their arms crossed for an iPod, and 27% need an iPhone.
Top all that with Common Sense Media’s finding that 40% of 2- to four-year-olds have used a smart smartphone, iPad, or video, with that figure jumping to fifty-two % for the 5- to 8-year-antique set. Seems Dad and Mom are into sharing.
It’s no wonder producers are heeding the call with child variations of the playthings that occupy so many grown-up hours. Take Crayola’s iMarker, which turns an iPad into a coloring book, complete with an iMarker that might not scratch the display. It’s designed for toddlers three and up.
Not quite. Disney’s in it, too, with such services as its Spotlight Microphone that plugs into an iPad. Shall we children sing together with Disney tunes or their very own? Indeed, they can even record their personal track video.
And it truly is just the end of the iPad-reduced-to-kid-size-iceberg with mother and father not wanting to hand over their prized gadget. Enter LeapFrog. As its website puts it, “Does your preschooler have iPad envy? Try LeapFrog’s LeapPad Explorer, a pill for the younger set.” Indeed, it is designed for 4- to 9-year-olds and is so famous that the call for it is starting to exceed supply; that is all very steady with Google’s finding that the pills-for-children market has risen 2,000% given that final year.
It would not stop there, even though. Next up is VTech’s InnoTab Learning App Tablet, with claims that due to it, “getting to know has no limits.” It then goes on to say that cutting part instructional toy adapts the technology of mothers’ and fathers’ favorite touchpad devices into fun learning enjoyed for children.” And, like the LeapPad, it’s aimed at the four- to the 9-yr-vintage site.
And, if you want more, the manufacturer provides, “With the brand new InnoTab, VTech brings to children a contemporary, multi-function pill. Interactive and lively reading, instructional gaming, and innovative activities are supplied through a cartridge library that capabilities youngsters’ favorite characters. With a wealthy collection of programs, InnoTab gives children aged 4-9 abundant opportunities for development and fun.” So much for Lincoln Logs.
You must recognize, although, that the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says, “Capturing 43% of the vote, the Vinci Touchscreen Mobile Learning Tablet has won the 2011 TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for Worst Toy of the Year… The push to convince dad and mom that display screen time is academic for infants propelled Vinci to outpace its ambitious competition.”
“While all the selections have been horrifying, the Vinci appears the maximum insidious to me,” says CCFC member Anne M. Deyser of Westborough, Massachusetts. “It’s possible to convince mother and father that they’re doing something high quality for his or her infants while that could not be farther from the fact.”
Adds Peggy Sissel-Phelan, Ed.D., of Little Rock, “People don’t know that without human attention, babies may not broaden typically, a great deal less optimally. They will, but discover ways to push the buttons to make the screen react. Rats can do that!'”
With all that in mind, consider that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no display time for toddlers under two and no more than two hours an afternoon after that. Know, too, that sixty-six % of babies and toddlers watch a screen an average of two hours an afternoon!
In other words, do not believe that those gadgets promote learning. Says pediatrician Dimitri Christakis, “The concept of tutorial toys, of constructing brainier toddlers, is a surprisingly new phenomenon and has amassed loads of traction. The scary factor is that most of these claims are absolutely unsubstantiated. They prey on parents’ wants to do the whole thing they likely can for their youngsters.”
So take a specific stance and cross your manner, shopping for toys that inspire proper play and stimulate creativity in preference to an electronic system with many bells and whistles. Put books and video games on your shopping list, too. Then, head outdoors: playgrounds, museums, and libraries are waiting. Or truly go for a walk, motorcycle ride, or scavenger hunt. Given such options, displays don’t stand a threat.