HLNtv.com’s Digital Life and Parenting editor and father of two, Jonathan Anker, recently shared his views on why more parents need to ditch the apps and mobile devices and teach their kids the old fashioned way.
Anker notes that while these gadgets and electronics are addicting enough for adults and teens, young children and babies can easily become enthralled in them. He questions why parents would want their child zoned out and attached to this type of technology at such a young age. While apps are beneficial in teaching children basic skills like the alphabet, counting or color recognition, they are not doing anything that a parent could not, themselves, teach the child, Anker writes.
“Education-focused apps like these — which are abundant — are pretty harmless on their own. But that misses the point. They function as gateway drugs to the device itself,” Akner says. “Once you introduce a kid to the thrill-a-minute gadget universe, they’ll want to stay there. You’ll see them again just in time for the middle school dance.”
Some technology in times of boredom or when a parent is busy is alright, but shouldn’t become something that’s excessively relied upon. Both parents and children can easily slip into a hard habit to break when electronics are consistently used as the go-to “baby-sitter” or child pacifier. Akner explains that dolls, action figures and songs, for example, are still appropriate and work just as well.
“That four-hour car ride with two children? There was no DVD player, laptop, iAnything, and we all survived just fine. Enjoyed it, even.”
Read the entire piece on HLNtv.com.
BWMK– What are your feelings on young children using electronics? How often do your children play with iPads or other devices and what are they mainly using them for?