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> I am terrified about giving smartphones to my kids. I am terrified by the fact that so many other people don't think twice about handing their toddler a smar

> I am terrified about giving smartphones to my kids. I am terrified by the fact that so many other people don't think twice about handing their toddler a smart device. Every time we go to dinner, there's a table nearby with a tablet planted in front of a child in a booster seat. "There's no evidence that it's harmful", people say, but how could the evidence possibly exist? It would take 16+ years to do a thorough study (possibly longer), but smartphones have only been popular for half that time. And people have only been using them as babysitters for the past 3-5 years, at most. We may not know the true extent of their damage until it's far too late for the affected generation. There's always a chance that the damage will be minor and/or reversible, but most people don't seem to grasp the risk they're taking.

lr4444lr 9y ago
If you need to come armed with facts: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new-recommendations-for-childrens-media-use.aspx https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages... Scroll down to "Among the AAP recommendations" for the tl;dr.
duderific 9y ago
> Every time we go to dinner, there's a table nearby with a tablet planted in front of a child in a booster seat. I'm guessing you're not a parent. As the parent of a 3-year-old boy, I'd like to weigh in on this. There are three kinds of parents out there: 1) Those that simply hand their kid a phone/tablet every time they're out and about. This is probably bad. 2) Those that never let their kid use a device at a restaurant. This is pretty rare. 3) Those that use the device in times of true need: their kid has been at the dinner table for a long time and needs some distraction so the parents can get through their meal. This is where I fall, and I think it's ok. Most three year olds are not built to sit quietly and eat a meal at a restaurant. I guess maybe back in the day, people would simply leave their kid with a sitter and go out to eat, but that's not always an option.
- somtum 9y ago
  > 3) Those that use the device in times of true need: their kid has been at the dinner table for a long time and needs some distraction so the parents can get through their meal. Sounds like us. Either that or my wife and I would take turns carrying our kid around while the other finishes off their meal.
- RepressedEmu 9y ago
  All the 1's probably think they're 3's, though.

lr4444lr 9y ago

If you need to come armed with facts: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new-recommendations-for-childrens-media-use.aspx https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages... Scroll down to "Among the AAP recommendations" for the tl;dr.

duderific 9y ago

> Every time we go to dinner, there's a table nearby with a tablet planted in front of a child in a booster seat. I'm guessing you're not a parent. As the parent of a 3-year-old boy, I'd like to weigh in on this. There are three kinds of parents out there: 1) Those that simply hand their kid a phone/tablet every time they're out and about. This is probably bad. 2) Those that never let their kid use a device at a restaurant. This is pretty rare. 3) Those that use the device in times of true need: their kid has been at the dinner table for a long time and needs some distraction so the parents can get through their meal. This is where I fall, and I think it's ok. Most three year olds are not built to sit quietly and eat a meal at a restaurant. I guess maybe back in the day, people would simply leave their kid with a sitter and go out to eat, but that's not always an option.

somtum 9y ago
> 3) Those that use the device in times of true need: their kid has been at the dinner table for a long time and needs some distraction so the parents can get through their meal. Sounds like us. Either that or my wife and I would take turns carrying our kid around while the other finishes off their meal.
RepressedEmu 9y ago
All the 1's probably think they're 3's, though.