A big topic of debate in the parenting world is whether giving your child an iPad is a good idea or not.
Children having their own tablets has become more and more popular over the last couple of years and now it feels like every child out there has one and is glued to it. All you have to do is look around an airport waiting room to see it for yourself.
It’s something that is hypothesised to have happened for two main reasons:
- Parents are increasingly busy, especially at work
- Technology has advanced and there is more suitable technology for children
It is a pretty simple picture and it’s easy to see how we have ended up the way we have.
Before we get into the negative side of this debate in more detail, it is important to look at some of the positives that giving your child a tablet can bring and why it happens so commonly. These could include the following:
- They can learn, study, and gain access to educational resources
- They can connect with friends (if they are old enough)
- It helps to develop their IT skills and makes them more computer literate
- It entertains them when we are busy
- It can help calm down meltdowns and tantrums
- They can engage with calming apps and programmes
This is the context a lot of parents will be coming from when they decide to give their child a tablet for the first time. There are benefits and there are reasons to do it.
However…
There are a lot of disadvantages too and I would argue that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The flip side of the argument includes the following:
- Using a tablet so regularly makes a child less social and more despondent
- It shortens their attention span
- They feel increasingly that they need to be entertained all the time
- It decreases their patience and ability to wait for things
- Repetitive use can cause eye strain, headaches, and nausea
- Excessive screen time can cause irritability and mood swings
- There is dangerous and sensitive content that can be accessed very easily by children online
- It can hold back their social skills and stunt their conversational progression
- They can miss out on a lot of outdoors and physical fun
The list could probably go on for a bit longer, but I think by now you probably get the idea.
We know that we are busier than ever and we know that we have to work more than ever, but is shoving our child in front of an iPad really the best way to deal with this problem?
It seems not.
There is a lot to consider before you decide to introduce your child to a tablet, especially at such a young age.
There is a lot to think about and a lot of compromises to make so that we don’t slip into the negative pattern evident in the second list of this blog.
Healthy happy children are what we want to see, not distracted ones.
But… what do you think?
