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One hard to discuss aspect of this that i notice is the parental benefit of plugging a child into the screen. The kid becomes so engrossed you (as a parent) ca

One hard to discuss aspect of this that i notice is the parental benefit of plugging a child into the screen. The kid becomes so engrossed you (as a parent) can almost pretend you are childless again. Its a strong temptation. Then it is much easier for us all to blame the iPad itself, when it was actually a tool the parent used to dodge a bit of their responsibility. That doesnt address all the different issues the article covers, but its a part of it. If we as parents didnt have that “out” then we would have to experience, adapt to and plan for more of our children’s development. And for the record i do give my kid a tablet, but use device profiles to restrict her to only FaceTiming relatives and drawing. No video. This has made it so boring it is less attractive to her than magnitiles.

FabHK 3y ago
I babysat a friend's kids for a week once. A YouTube video of police cars, ambulances, fire trucks driving by was an amazingly potent distraction and pacifier. I used it very very sparingly (it was just one week, and I was on holiday, not working), but I can see how it's extraordinarily tempting.
deleted 3y ago
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ViktorRay 3y ago
To me the smartphone seems worse than tablets and other devices. Having some screen based entertainment available is one thing. Having a smartphone inside a 7 year old’s pocket constantly providing notifications of group chats? Having a 9 year boy have unlimited unrestricted access to the web 24/7? Children with smartphones. I think I’m very fortunate that I grew up before the iPhone was invented. When I was going through middle school I had a PlayStation 2. I’m lucky I went through that time when electronics was magical and mindblowing and before it became what it is today.
leashless 3y ago
The nuclear family is a catastrophe all of its own. Most older cultures would consider two parents and two children in a house on their own far away from relatives a recipe for insanity in all parties, as it has been proven to be!

FabHK 3y ago

I babysat a friend's kids for a week once. A YouTube video of police cars, ambulances, fire trucks driving by was an amazingly potent distraction and pacifier. I used it very very sparingly (it was just one week, and I was on holiday, not working), but I can see how it's extraordinarily tempting.

deleted 3y ago

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ViktorRay 3y ago

To me the smartphone seems worse than tablets and other devices. Having some screen based entertainment available is one thing. Having a smartphone inside a 7 year old’s pocket constantly providing notifications of group chats? Having a 9 year boy have unlimited unrestricted access to the web 24/7? Children with smartphones. I think I’m very fortunate that I grew up before the iPhone was invented. When I was going through middle school I had a PlayStation 2. I’m lucky I went through that time when electronics was magical and mindblowing and before it became what it is today.

leashless 3y ago

The nuclear family is a catastrophe all of its own. Most older cultures would consider two parents and two children in a house on their own far away from relatives a recipe for insanity in all parties, as it has been proven to be!