In an earlier post, I discussed the negative effects that the Baby Einstein videos have on infants and toddlers. I was curious to know, however, what kind of effect technology in general has on babies. If videos designed specifically to help children of this age learn more, then what effect is it having on them when Disney Channel or Nickelodeon are on, or they’re playing on an iPad? Well I found the answers, and wasn’t quite expecting what I found.
In 2011, American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement that stated that “by age 3, almost one third of children have a television in their bedroom. Parents who believe that educational television is “very important for healthy development” are twice as likely to keep the television on all or most of the time” (AAP). Unfortunately for these parents, however, they are horribly wrong in thinking this, as the AAP also stated that no baby under the age of two should be engaging in any type of screen time, regardless of whether or not it is educational. Then even when the child is three, although they don’t say to avoid screen time at all costs, it is still not appropriate for a child this age to be watching television often. In their book Children & Society, Lydia Plowman, Joanna McPake, and Christine Stephen say that there seems to be a disjunction…between the case put forward by those warning of the toxic effects of technology and parents’ own perceptions,” which is clear in the studies shown in multiple cases (Plowman, McPake, Stephen). The AAP explained that “unstructured play time is more valuable for the developing brain than electronic media. Children learn to think creatively, problem solve, and develop reasoning and motor skills at early ages through unstructured, unplugged play. Free play also teaches them how to entertain themselves” (AAP).
Along with this, parents watching television around their young children can have a downfall, as well, many pediatricians are claiming. This is because when a parent is watching a tv show, he or she is not fully engaged with the child, causing a disconnect between parent and child. Not only this, but even if the child isn’t fully engaged in what is on the screen, “there is a strong consensus among doctors and experts that an excessive amount of electronic media can exacerbate the ADHD behaviors in children.” This is caused by the “development of brain systems that scan and shift attention at the expense of those that focus attention, as well as undermining some natural attentional mechanisms in the human mind” (Armstrong). There seems to be a disjunction, then, between the case put forward by those warning of the toxic effects of technology and parents’ own perceptions
Not only does it have the possibility of causing ADHD, but also problems such as anxiety, anger management, and violent behavior (Chakraburtt). Of course, there is always the possibility in this case of a confounding variable, such as availability of the parent to engage with the child often or socioeconomic situation. If the parent is in a bad socioeconomic situation, and is unable to frequently engage with the child (i.e. working most hours of the day), the child may have behavioral issues not caused by television, but by lack of attention and engagement.
From what I found, I’m not saying that television is all around a bad thing, because there are times when it’s appropriate, and when it’s not. But I do believe, based on the research, that when it comes to very young children and technology, it is something that should not be taken lightly, and should be closely observed. Something as easy as reading to your child before bed rather than clicking the power button might save your child from multiple complications down the road!
I would be curious to see how this study will apply to the future. It is easy to see that small children are more engaged with technology today then we were at the same age, so what potential negative side effects are we going to see in the next couple of year? I imagine that there might be significant behavioral differences between children who had limited access to technology and those who constantly have technology around. Are we stunting relationships and creativity by giving children technology at too early an age? Is it in the interest of public health to create bans and restrictions on technology for tots? In my opinion, tech should be regulated more thoroughly to prevent a generation of emotionally stunted adults.
This is an issue that I have always thought about. Being exposed to a lot of technology at such a young age has always made me curious whether it was good or bad for them. After, reading your post it is very clear now that it is a serious problem and not good for young children. It’s crazy to think about to because so many kids are getting technology at their hands at such a young age and parents are not even aware of the harm. My little cousin, 7 years old, has had an iPad or kindle in his hands for quite a few months now and he loves to play games on them. He gets glued to it and knows how to work the technology better than me at age 7! It really is mind blowing how much technology is taking over our lives at such young ages now and your post definitely backs that up. This is a concerning issue that people need to be more aware of.
This post was very interesting to me because if I’m out to dinner or even at the mall, I see kids all the time playing with iPads or iPod touches and I’ve always wondered the same thing. What surprised me in your post was that “by age 3, almost one third of children have a television in their bedroom”. I agree that technology isn’t all bad for kids but only to an extent. I found an article related to the topic of kids with technology, and it had a pretty interesting study they were talking about in there that you should check out!