iPads are the New Lego

iPads are the New Lego

Image from Huffington Post

In 2011, kids under the age of 8 spent, on average, about five minutes per day on phones or tablets. In 2013, the number tripled to 15 minutes.  The over use of technology is having a negative effect on our children and as they get older multimedia can jeopardize their security.  Where should parents draw the line?

In today's society iPads, tables, and smartphones has become the next big thing and so far the Daly Mail has shined light on a story of a four year old in Britain who is the youngest iPad addict. The four year old is one of many that show compulsive behavior with technology and in her case experiences withdrawals symptoms if she doesn't have access to her iPad.  


 Studies have shown that children who have access to media devices score significantly lower when it came to reading facial emotions or other nonverbal cues than children that are not exposed to media devices. Allowing children to over use mobile devices is taking away the ability to feel sad when someone else is sad or have an emotional reaction to certain scenarios. Are we taking away children’s essential human capability? Along with this, physicians have also linked obesity, low self-esteem and uneven sleeping habits to the over use of technology amongst children. 


However, we can't blame children for the overuse of technology, children are being born in an era where technology is thriving and where multimedia devices are everywhere. Eight year olds don’t seem to fully understand the meaning of the word "moderation" and is difficult for children not get sucked in into the use of technology, this is where parents should step in. 

Statistics from Common Sense Media.org

Nonetheless, not just children but adults are being hypnotized with smartphones and fancy technology. Parents are unconsciously using technology around their children. The problem lays here; Children imitate their surroundings as well as they imitate the media. A five year old sees their parents use a phone and their human instinct is to mimic those actions. Soon we have five year olds swiping the television screen thinking that it is an iPad. Parents need to be aware of how and when they use technology around their kids, it can have a large influence on their children’s habits and decisions.

A toddler thinking a television is an iPad is just the beginning of the problem. Soon a 10 year old might say, what is the big deal, mom has a Facebook why can’t I? Cyber bulling has been reported, 10 per cent of 10 to 11 year olds and 17 per cent of 12 to 13 year olds have reported they felt threatened by someone on the Internet. The web can be a dangerous place to browse and children are not yet capable of what to do when presented certain images or in certain conversations.

Technology is something that we can not avoided and eventually that is what our world will come to. True, however, parents should monitor their own technology usage in front of children and should encourage their kids to spend less time on their smartphones. This will not only plumage the cyber bulling numbers but we will have healthier children for our future.