The Rising Case of Kids and Tablets

Studies have shown that one in three kids know how to use a mobile phone or tablet before they can even speak. Going further, children below the age of seven already know how to use keyboard and mouse of a computer and the touchscreen of smartphones and tablets. In this digital age where technology is exponentially reaching people at the youngest of ages, when is too much? Or rather -- at what point do we say our children are too young for these devices.

It’s been said that one of biggest parenting mistakes is sitting your child down in front of a television all day. A child’s development can be impaired if they view a television unregulated. It’s not just the content of the show but rather the lack of activity. Smartphones and tablets have their good share of educational apps that help the cognitive and comprehension skills of a child. But nonetheless, you are sticking a child in front of a bright screen for a large amount of time.

The question remains: Are tablets being constantly used by children the wave of the future? Or is it a disturbing trend? In a report published by the Daily Mail, a well-regarded newspaper in the UK; It shared interesting facts about children a digital devices.

Here are some general stats found by the studies:

-Nearly a third of children now learn to use a mobile phone or a tablet computer before they can talk, a report has revealed.

-Some 29 per cent start using the gadgets as toddlers, with 70 per cent mastering them completely by primary school age.

-The report also found that by the time they reach the age of nine, children have typically sent 116 texts and 85 emails.

Obviously these stats show that this generation of kids and toddlers are consuming media in a completely different way than the generations before them. The television and radio were once the primary sources of media and culture for a child. More recently the computer and today’s age with tablets and smartphones -- children have more access to media and they can get it faster and easier.

Now the ease and access to these players of media is noteworthy, but the access and ease to all kinds of unregulated content is another. It is quite easy for a child to pick up a tablet and log in to YouTube and view video content that is completely not suitable for their age. Content (videos, images and even language) can be unregulated on social media and media sites -- this is the biggest deterrent to having children use media devices.

Simply, children have more access to some of the worst videos, images and verbal exchanges ever. Consider the cult video “Faces of Death” -- it was a video that featured gore, deaths (fake or not) and other gruesome acts. Before the Internet, you would have to find this video in stores or some underground distributor. And now in the digital age, a child can pick up an iPad and make a quick search to find something that may disturb them.

So should parents make a moratorium on these devices to their children? Sorry to say that can’t happen as most families and friends have these devices and eventually children will cleverly find a way to them. But the things a parent can control are settings. Settings are available on every devices and even on websites like Youtube. So check settings and make sure they are set so that children will NOT have access to age-inappropriate material.

As stated, kids will always have access to media through tablets and the computer. And if you already improved settings on devices and websites, that still might not be enough. So take a look at all media and treat devices the same way you would a television. Restrict the time on television and devices just the same. Or just make the rule: one or the other. It’s hard to restrict or even ban media or devices, but it’s easier to balance it.

Smartphones and tablets are easy to use and kids are getting better than adults in using them. Add to that television and video games and you may have a child that is completely saturated in media. It is up to responsible parents to balance a child’s exposure to media devices while making such devices as an educational and cognitive tool. The future is vast with these advances in technology, but they still can harm us in different ways.

Image credit: Bruno Padilla on Flickr