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> But it's certainly not avoidable. It certainly is avoidable. The difference between my friends who are very conscious of the exposure they give their childre

by GuiA 7y ago

> But it's certainly not avoidable. It certainly is avoidable. The difference between my friends who are very conscious of the exposure they give their children to TV, phones, tablets, etc vs those who don’t is striking. Case study A: a friend who lives with her 6 year old son in a tiny Paris apartment. She has a laptop for work and an old phone she uses for WhatsApp/basic tasks, and that’s it. When I spent a few days at her place last winter, the kid helped us cook, we played board games after dinner, and he was really excited to go to the park the next day. Case study B: San Francisco friends who let their kid use an iPad pretty much any time there is any chance the kid might be bored, moody, etc. She is pretty much addicted, and it’s quite hard to get her excited about anything else.

bayesian_horse 7y ago
The 6 year is probably in kindergarden or starting elementary school. You can bet his class mates / potential friends will soon all have smart phones and converse mainly through online groups. It's hard to say if at some point the disadvantages of limiting screen use is outweighing the benefits. Worse, if children already use social media heavily, stripping them of access during the school hours (or longer) will actually increase their anxiety levels. Children's social dynamics are tricky, especially for adults, and a lot can go wrong. In my youth I wasn't spending so much time with a computer because it was my free choice. I lacked the social skills to make friends and was bullied heavily through my entire school life. Next problem: To entertain a child without iPads requires a lot of time and conscious effort, which not all parents can spare, despite their best efforts. Instead of iPads, especially with preschool children, you'll see parents give them some food item when they need to be still for a time (bus, train etc). That's not necessarily a better solution. Nor is letting them cry all the time because children at such ages can't control their focus and impulses for a meaningful amount of time.

by GuiA 7y ago

bayesian_horse 7y ago

The 6 year is probably in kindergarden or starting elementary school. You can bet his class mates / potential friends will soon all have smart phones and converse mainly through online groups. It's hard to say if at some point the disadvantages of limiting screen use is outweighing the benefits. Worse, if children already use social media heavily, stripping them of access during the school hours (or longer) will actually increase their anxiety levels. Children's social dynamics are tricky, especially for adults, and a lot can go wrong. In my youth I wasn't spending so much time with a computer because it was my free choice. I lacked the social skills to make friends and was bullied heavily through my entire school life. Next problem: To entertain a child without iPads requires a lot of time and conscious effort, which not all parents can spare, despite their best efforts. Instead of iPads, especially with preschool children, you'll see parents give them some food item when they need to be still for a time (bus, train etc). That's not necessarily a better solution. Nor is letting them cry all the time because children at such ages can't control their focus and impulses for a meaningful amount of time.