Pick a tablet, any tablet, and put it in front of a child. Then, watch the magnetic attraction pull them in and steal all semblance of self-control. Tots, teens and all the screenagers in between can’t resist that tablet temptation.
TABLETS FOR TOTS
Of the 120-million tablets sold in 2013, their owners keep getting younger … and younger … and younger. According to a recent study by San Francisco-based Common Sense Media, 38% of babies under 2 use tablets or smartphones, up from 10% in 2011. What’s more, nearly as many children own tablets today as adults did just two years ago. This enormous growth is thanks in part to the plummeting prices of entry-level devices, which are sometimes even less expensive than the parade of kid-specific devices flooding store shelves. And more and more companies are targeting the kids tablet market, too.
PARENTING IN THE AGE OF IPADS
While some parents are thrilled with this new wired world, others fear the total tablet takeover will turn their precious children’s brains to media-saturated mush. Most of us modern moms and dads are somewhere in between, glad to share tablet time with kids, but also cautious about those sticky fingers and malleable minds.
It’s true, handing your kids an all-access pass to the land of iPads and Galaxy Tabs is a bit like handing over the keys to your car. Are they ready for it? How much tablet time is the right amount for their budding brains? Will they run up a fortune in apps, or stumble across content they shouldn’t see? What the heck are they actually doing on there?
These are just a few of the questions researchers have been working hard to answer, and a topic we’ll tackle over the next few installments of Tech Now. We’ll take a look at the rules of the road when it comes to giving your kids a tablet, see which specific tablets might be the best fit for your particular brood, and walk you through the tips and tricks to keep kids of all ages safe on their slates.
WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
Researchers find that kids today play more with touch-screens than traditional toys. As a mom myself, I want to know what that shift means for our future generation, and for those of us doing our best to raise healthy, well-rounded kids. We’ve heard debates over the effects of TV, video games and even certain types of music, and — surprise! — that same battle has now turned to tablets.
There’s no question that screens and technology can open the door to intellectually stimulating content, but they could also close doors to physical activity. They help kids keep in touch with Grandma and Grandpa across the miles and let them check in with Mom or Dad after school, yet they set up barriers when kids don’t interact with the people and situations around them. What’s a modern mom or dad to do?
That’s where we pick back up tomorrow, with part two of this series, when we look at how much screen time is the “right” amount, what impact slates are having on kids, and what you need to consider before giving your child a tablet. I call this rules of the road, because I’ve so often craved an easy to follow “map” of sorts that covers the basics — the how-to’s and what-for’s — when it comes to dealing with this somewhat hot-button parenting issue.
Be sure to weigh in with your own questions, comments, concerns, and check back here tomorrow for part two of this series; kids and tablets, rules of the road.
Posted in Connected Kids, Cyber Safety, Great Gadgets, TechNow
