Computers & iPads for kids. Not a good thing?

Parenting and Education (Other) General Parenting
1

Hi I’m about the be a father in matter of weeks time and are already planning to invest in Little Learner & Little Math for our coming Princess. Me & my Wife are so excited on introducing her to the world and also allowing her to learn as much as we can teach her!

We have a (perhaps common) question that most parents will ask. Are introducing computers & iPads to babies suitable/recommended ? We’d witnessed many parents nowadays who ‘stuffed’ their kids with iPads anytime of the day just to ‘keep them quiet’. We really do not want that to happen to ours as we felt this is the wrong method/idealogy in teaching them. Will teaching them through Brillkids softwares contribute to the ‘iPad addiction’? Thanks!

2

Personally I think iPad addiction is silly. I have a 3 year old and he shows obsessions for his toy cars, playing in the bath and being outside. I do remember reading the article about iPad addiction and every single one of my friends said that their kids had the same reaction to one thing or other.

That being said, there are legitamate studies that can show the detriment of exposure to stimulation such as TV, iPads, computers, and even flashing toys. I personally avoided media and battery operated toys until my son was at least 18 months. And no real Tv until he was 3. And to this day screen tme is limited and educational.

However I do think exposure to BK programs and certain apps do more good than harm. You will find people who are on both side of the debate. And ultimately it is up to you as a parent to decide where you stand. And if screen tme does concern you, make the time brief and educational. And make sure you enjoy other activities and interaction. 10-20 minutes a day or Little Reader and Little math is a lot better than 30 minutes of edutainment like Seasame Street.

3

Addiction to anything is really lack of discipline. Simply practicing fasting helps give one a good control over themselves. For example, setting out parameters of when and where to use technology is a practice of when and where you also fast from technology. What parameters you set up for your family will be based on your own personal philosophy and parental instincts. These things should not be over thought but you should have a rough plan.

Remember to set the rules out firmly for the baby and be consistent to follow through. iPad time might just be mommy/daddy lap time in which the only interaction with iPad is with the baby in your lap doing the specific program you want. Then you remove the iPad exactly when you want and never waiver. Babies can spot a weak moment in parent in a heart beat. So beware and just smile and put it away quickly. Babies don’t like a toy taken away, but you are the parent. They will love you anyway. Just be ready with another distraction. Making this a habit will allow the baby to be comfortable with process and any moment of displeasure will be replaced with an excitement for the next activity with mommy and daddy.

My baby wasn’t introduced to the iPad until maybe at 20 months (strictly financial reasons here), but before that, he did receive screen time through LR and LMusician along with Sparkabilities and YCCD. I also rotated other things in here and there.

I believe most studies on babies being exposed to TV and such are very subjective. These studies are more or less subjective surveys taken by parents. No consideration is made to the content of the programming other than it being mainstream and directed towards children. So many elements can really be a factor here from economic, social, cultural and/or parental philosophies. The programming is also important. Most television and computer programs recommended by parents on this forum are not really considered mainstream and wouldn’t be found in these so called studies. Also, early learning parents have very different parenting philosophy of creating a loving environment filled with opportunities to learn with and without technology.

I think interaction children receive during the use of a software or DVD program is critical to the success. I didn’t just push PLAY and walk away from my baby. This was our special time cuddling where we are counting with the program, naming the colors, laughing together at the silly parts, and singing along. When I got my baby up in the morning, his first word was “words.” He loved LR, and if he was addicted to it, I was okay with that. Now, of course, he is addicted to shapes. How I have learned that shapes are everywhere! lol

We are really in the early stages of understanding the mind and how it works. While we know a lot, we hardly know anything. There is so much to learn. I would be wary of any organization that isn’t open minded enough to come over to Brillkids or go on YouTube to see the thousands of babies and toddlers reading.

No matter what you are going to do a great job, so don’t worry. I am excited that you are here, and I hope you keep us updated on your early learning journey.

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Hi Korrale,

Yes we personally think iPad addiction is a very silly thing! Most parents nowadays are finding an easy way out by chucking iPads to their kids, not knowing that it creates an unhealthy habit and addiction for them. What happens when there’s no iPad for them? Oh God how they will scream and cry! Because basically all they know and love is iPad and nothing else will soothe them. Thank you so much for sharing your tips on limiting their screen time and only screen them with educational items. We’ll definitely use that as part of her learning ‘system’!

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Hi Cokers,

Many thanks for your valuable tips and information! We now know that baby is exactly like a blank white paper! And its we parents who decide what we want to draw or scribble on it. Whatever the outcome is, it is the parent’s doing. Now, the more we learn about this iPad addiction thing, the more we understand how it can be controlled and its always the parents fault for exposing them too much to it. I had friends who once told us “Oh our kids can’t sit quiet without iPads! Kids nowadays needs iPad to keep them quiet!”. We were quite taken back at first and didn’t quite believe that kids NEED iPad to behave. Now to think back on it, who’s in the first place who introduced them to iPads? It’s the parents themselves.

Our initial fear was introducing our baby girl to computers and ipads (for LR & LM of course) would in the end lead them to ‘something else’ (such as iPad addiction). But now that the more we understand, it’s us parents who needs to be in control of it, and not to just ‘push play and walk away’ like you said.

We’re also very excited on welcoming our baby girl to the world! It should be anytime within this week! Will for sure share her progress with everyone here! Thanks once again!

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Cokers4life said it well

Computers and iPads ARE good things, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

When we go to family events, all the kids hang out together each playing their own device, be it an iPad, Tablet, smartphone, whatever.

It’s up to the parents to set the rules and not worry about what other kids do (that’s the first complaint you’ll get). Of course, that’s not likely an issue for an infant, but the course of action needs to be set early as if it’s not, at some point it becomes difficult to change the rules.

7

We recently had an eye doctors appointment for our 4 year-old boy, and she said that we needed to have our child take at least a short break every half-hour from electronic displays.

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I’m wondering though about EMF exposure from ipad’s or cell-phones.

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A break every half hour?! I always figured it would be at least twice that, but I never knew what the exact timeline would be… good to know!

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I have a 9 year old who has been using a Ipad since she was 6 and learned a lot. While I agree that too much time spent on these gizmos have consequences, we need to understand that the next generation is all about gadgets and gizmos. So need to let them get used to these darn things early in life ! :yes:

11

I’m not a parent, but I’m young enough that I grew up when the screen age started (Turns out I make a living on them now!)

I actually learned a lot from video games and TV. What was important was a balance between them and socializing and being outside… My parents wouldn’t let me play too much, and would even lock me outside sometimes (for my own good, although this rarely happened). I played a lot of street hockey, soccer, golf. My dad made sure to have me outside and show me how much fun it is. It wasn’t until I started making a living using computers that he accepted my time in front of them was worth something.

I agree with what Kennfoo said. Parameters and discipline are what balanced my time in front of the screens, and it worked well!

12

ya, ipads and computers are not a good thing for kids, kids should be allowed to play out side the home like hockey, golf etc.,. computers have become a part of life so they can be used inorder to learn not to waste the time.

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My older son did not really see TV until he was almost 2 (I did not know about brillkids then). But then his therapist said that watching the small screen on an ipad would help develop his central vision (which was poor as he was on the spectrum). So my younger son got exposed at a much younger age and he does seem to have a bit of a craze for the ipad. However, we set clear limits and I am very careful about what I let them watch. Like any tool, it can be used for good or evil. I would not hesitate to use it for education with a program like BK (lucky you for finding out about it so early!). I use the ipad for educational apps, and the odd bit of carefully selected viewing. For education and therapy it is the best! For child pacification - well it works, but then not so good ;-).

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby!

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Aside from addiction, are the rays from the laptop bad for a baby/toddler’s vision? I find that my eyes hurt even after 5-10 minutes of using the laptop. I really worry about my 2 year old about this issue. I am pregnant and due soon and wondering if I should just use the flashcards I made for the first 2 years or the computer program. Thanks!

15

That’s an excellent question, and a frequently asked one. There are several angles or issues involved and this has been a concern of many parents too - we did a bit of research on the issue and talked to several pediatricians and electronics experts about it, and this is what we understand:

DO WE GET RADIATION FROM A COMPUTER SCREEN?

Radiation coming from computers is negligible. If it is harmful to a baby, then it’s also harmful to YOU and you would find many people telling YOU to stay away from computers, not just your baby. One point that isn’t mentioned much though relates to ‘positive ions.’ Unlike what it sounds like, POSITIVE ions are actually bad, and NEGATIVE ions are good. (Do a search on negative ions and you will see the difference.) Now, the old CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, you know, those big bulky ones, do emit a lot of positive ions. People who are particularly sensitive to positive/negative ions (estimated to be about 20% of population) tend to get certain ill effects from prolonged exposure to it, like lower immune systems, moodiness, etc. Thankfully, more and more people nowadays use LCD monitors, which do not have this problem. And as for TV, where there are still many CRT TVs in use, the important thing to do is to keep a distance from it, and minimize the time spent in front of it.

WHAT ABOUT EYE STRAIN?

This is a common cause of complaint, for children and adults alike. I think the seriousness of the problem here depends on the monitor, and in particular, on its refresh rate. Old monitors (especially the CRT ones) have very low refresh rates - if you look closely at these old monitors, you will see the screen flickering. Over time, this tends to cause eye strain. Again, thankfully, modern monitors have very high refresh rates and this problem has been reduced considerably. Many people who used to have eye strain problems with old CRT screens no longer have problems with modern-day LCD/plasma screens.

One final note here is glare - make sure the lighting is adequate! Also, a lot of tablets and screens already have an AUTO function which adjusts the brightness depending on how bright the environment. If you haven’t tried it yet, USE IT! It’s very helpful and it regulates the brightness of the screen to adjust to a comfortable viewing level automatically.

IS TV IS HARMFUL TO BABIES?

Actually, when most people talk about the problems with watching TV/using screens and tablets, they are actually referring more to the content aspect of it. This question is so important that we wrote an article on it, which you can read here: http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/related-topics/babies-and-television.php

In a nutshell - make sure you accompany your baby as much as you can for all TV/computer-watching so that you have stimulation coming from you and not just the TV, and try your best to make the entire process interactive - encourage your baby to respond, ask your baby/child questions (even if they can’t talk yet), etc., instead of letting it be purely a one-way process where your baby just stares at the screen for long periods without needing to think or respond.

But of course, only YOU can decide what you think is best for your baby. :slight_smile: Too much of anything can be bad, then again, crossing out a great avenue for learning and education just out of hearsay can be bad too.

16

It is OK if it is limited to certain things. As I allow my children to use computer for either their school projects or for games. The games include strategic and role play, as these help in development of his skills.

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Yes it is true. It will be good if it is limited to certain things. Actually they are good resource for kids, there are many apps that helps them in improving communication and cognitive skills. So I allow my child to use both the computers and ipads.