The Case For Unlimited Tablet Time For Toddlers

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Although I don't want kids watching television, these limits are dependent on their knee-jerk reactions (kids today and their screens!) Much more on what is important to kids' development more than anything.



The majority of research about screen time comes from studies of children who watch TV compared to kids who don't, as Emily Oster explains at Fivethirtyeight-and the effects usually disappear when demographic differences like income, race and education are taken into consideration. Let it sing



Television is probably not a bad thing for kids, and other tablet activities like video games shouldn't be grouped with watching TV in any way. When I wrote about tablet time, Lifehacker, I reviewed the research. These are the major differences:



Television is passive: something happens and you are able to watch. The stuff that happens doesn't matter to you. Lalalalal Your grandma may be on television, but not your grandma.



One of the pediatricians from the AAP wrote in JAMA Pediatrics (be aware that the doctor was speaking on behalf of himself and not the AAP). He said that iPad play is more like playing with blocks , or reading a book with a caregiver than passive TV watching.



The recommendations based on evidence from the nonprofit Zero to Three focus on finding appropriate content rather than placing a broad limit on time, though their evidence for the importance of "appropriate" content is a bit weak in certain areas.



Perhaps it's just easier to say that kids should play educational video games with their Dads instead of throwing asteroids at birds. I'm not aware of anything about this. My toddler is not having any issues with his letters and numbers and has discovered them through a combination of real life and okay, maybe TV. But he is more aware of orbital mechanics from Angry Birds Space than I ever did from high school physics class.



(When I mentioned Angry Birds on my Lifehacker article I received a few comments insisting that I was wrong and that my toddler couldn’t possibly be doing anything more than just swiping aimlessly. This is the news: if you don't think a one-year-old is able to master the game of Angry Birds, then you haven't been around a lot of one-year-olds lately.)



My children each have their own tablet (a Nook HD+ that they bought at a great price and then rooted to run Cyanogenmod's Android version). They decide what age-appropriate uses they'll put it to. The five-year-old uses it to create elaborate creations in Minecraft (a sort of lego-block world) and also to study whatever is on his mind ("OK Google, show me images of narwhal skeletons.") The two-year-old delve into the physics of Angry Birds and Monument Valley. The two children play games like Cut the Rope and Bad Piggies, sometimes for hours. To be fair they also watch a lot of Youtube.



Imagine for the moment that you want your child to spend hours on a tablet. What issues do you anticipate? They'd become bored. They'd discover new and unique things to do with it, and not be able to accept what you suggested. If they came across a better toy, they'd keep it there for days. Guess what? This is exactly what happens when you give your users unlimited screen time and the excitement wears off.



I don't think a forbidden fruit policy is the best. My children would not use their screen time to watch cartoons if they only had an hour per day. Sometimes they send me texts to their dads or grandparents. Sometimes they gather with my wife to solve an adventure game. The older boy will teach their little brother how to install and use a new gadget.



Google, touchscreens and online communications are all part of our everyday life today. My kids know how to skip ads on videos and how to navigate a site even if they aren't able to read the content. They know what information you can find on a phone, and will offer suggestions that you write Daddy or ask Google or input something into the GPS. It's absurd to keep children away from screens, the same way it was the case if parents in the past had to keep their children from radios, the telephone or pencils and paper.



Clare Smith, a researcher in the field of language development and who has written extensively about screen time, was contacted by me to speak about my thoughts for the Lifehacker piece. Here's what she said:



We live in a world where technology can open up possibilities for extended social involvement, learning, work and leisure. In actuality, it's becoming the standard, and our children will be expected to become proficient in this field. It is a different media format that can be used in any way desired. It's the same as choosing toys and books when it comes to selecting devices and apps. Each option should be evaluated according to its merits. My kids are currently embracing gaming and social networking, and we're doing to guide them through the risks and advantages. As a responsible parent teaches a child the importance of road safety and stranger danger, as well as eating a balanced, healthy diet, and a disciplined approach to learning, so it is possible to teach children about the latest technology and the internet.



Screen time isn't something to be concerned about for children; it's just part of our world. Let's not make it seem like a tragedy to hand an iPad to the toddler.