

But the findings do seem to suggest that young children may not be ready for their own devices without a good deal of parental supervision, especially because the parental controls built into certain devices are far from perfect. It’s important to note that the study showed an association, not causation. The children with higher exposure to screens were the ones whose parents were not enforcing the current American Academy of Pediatrics’ screen time guidelines, which allow for up to an hour of high-quality programming a day on average. The results led the lead author of the study to speculate that tablets in particular may be “so powerful and encompassing, that they may not belong in the hands of infants-toddlers-preschoolers.”
#KIDZ DELIGHT TALKING ALPHABET TABLET PORTABLE#
About 41 percent of the children had a screen in the bedroom and about 60 percent had their own portable devices. Mott Children’s Hospital and a lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines on media use among young children.Īccording to one recent study of 47 children ages 3 to 5, those with higher exposure to screens had poorer expressive language and did worse on tests of language processing speed. “Most parents I know who’ve successfully navigated giving their child a tablet without it becoming the child’s constant sidekick have pretty clear boundaries for when and where the tablet comes out,” said Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan C.S. That’s why it’s important to have clear rules about how that device is going to be used. But continually giving a child an electronic device to alleviate restlessness or boredom can be a slippery slope, experts say. Do you need something simply to keep your child occupied?Ī little distraction can ease the tedium of car trips, air travel and other potentially hairy situations. Here are a few other things to consider when pondering whether to buy a young child a tablet. There’s no simple answer to that question, experts say - in fact, it might be more helpful to ask yourself something else entirely: Why do I want to introduce my child to a tablet, and how is my child going to use it? There has been a proliferation of apps that profess to be educational, and - particularly with the holidays approaching - you may be tempted to buy an electronic device for your child. Serfass’s question, and in particular the part about tablets.


What age should children have their own smartphone/tablet? I know that after 2, children can start being exposed to more screen time, but does it matter if they have a sense of ownership over a piece of technology as far as their risk to becoming more dependent on it? If she uses my smartphone versus giving her an old one that can be “hers” is that better, worse, or doesn’t matter? This story was originally published on Nov.
