Ban iPads & Tablets For Children

[londonmummyof1]

Is it just me, or does the iPad generation bother anyone else?

We went on a family holiday to Spain with my husband and almost 3 year old daughter, and at breakfast, lunch and dinner it’s the same sight - parents bringing out iPads for their preschool children to sit and watch - while eating!?! This is something I have never seen before and I absolutely do not agree with. I think seeing the scale of the problem during this one holiday shows what a problem this is. The thing is, the children aren’t even given the choice of asking for the iPad or to watch a show, it’s just slapped down in front of them and then they are glued. No interaction, just plugged into this simulated world, at the prime time in their life they are developing their language, speech, behaviour and personality - under the age of 5.

We did not bring an iPad for our child on holiday because we wanted to play in the swimming/splash pool, go to the beach etc and we spent such quality time with our child with memories we will keep forever.

This did not happen 20 or even 10 years ago - what did parents do with their children then? God forbid did they COMMUNICATE with their children at the dinner table?

What is happening to this world? Why not have a conversation with your child or bring a sticker book or story book for them to look at if feeding time is difficult. Every parent has been there with challenging mealtimes, but lugging the iPad around during 3 mealtimes, that’s a minimum of 3 hours your child is in a zombie state of mind, you’re starving them of developing their speech and ability to play by themselves and entertain themselves through play.

Do parents understand that too much screen time is extremely damaging to young children and can pave the way to obesity and development issues later in life?

I feel so passionate about this topic, as I’ve even seen some parents putting their children in pushchairs by the swimming pools glued to an iPad, when they could be swimming and having fun with their parents or siblings.

Parenting can be really tough, but somehow I think government intervention is required as this is such a vicious cycle, what future are we preparing our children for???

Simple alternatives to iPad/Tablet entertainment:

Play doh
Stickers
Books
Playing cards
Colouring books
Drawing

Absolutely BAN iPads & Tablets for children.

Sprinklesinmyelbow, my daughter loves sticker books, colouring etc. She also loves running around, yelling and making noise. She's certainly not low energy! The benefits of quieter activities are that they teach kids who have a propensity to prefer running around only how to concentrate and focus, two skills that are definitely lacking in some of today's teens and young adults.

also had to deal with bored and fed up children

Yes, we did have to deal with them, by interacting with them. Occasionally I used to have to leave the table and take them out for a walk, playing tag team with dh. Still wouldn't have given them a phone.

Yeah Gretol? We eat out 5 times a week, minimum. As do many parents i know. On holiday, youre eating out 3 times a day for 14 days. It’s extreme

I've plugged my kids in permanently. They have augmented reality chips in their brains. They're fine, if a bit absent from reality.

You didn’t have a phone to give them
Though did you? So irrelevant really. Parents still take the children out etc. Because believe it or not, an I pad isn’t magic. Frequently they don’t want that either.

Tech is not something you can educate yourself in these days. By the time your tech savvy 3 year old is 23, it will have changed beyond recognition. Better to concentrate on social, physical and emotional skills tbh

" We eat out 5 times a week, minimum. As do many parents i know"

what's that got to do with anything? apart from being a shocking waste of money

Why do people always trot out the whole "we never had x thing back in my day and we coped just fine"

It's such a daft point. It's NOT the same as it was in your day. These techy things are just part of life now whether you like it or not. My mum always says how much she wishes she had an ipad back when we were kids as it would've made her life 50 times easier.

Something for us all to think about I guess.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/31/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much-for-kids-parents-advice-children-digital-media

You didn’t have a phone to give them
Though did you?

fucking hell, seriously, how old ARE you?

Tech is not something you can educate yourself in these days. By the time your tech savvy 3 year old is 23, it will have changed beyond recognition. Better to concentrate on social, physical and emotional skills tbh

Why is in an either/or?

And of course you can educate them in using what’s available to them now safely.

Perhaps the kids who are quite, more compliant, easier to handle etc etc - are that way because they don't have a screen shoved in front of their nose every time they squeak or leave the house

Because it’s easy to deal with bored children once a fortnight or a quarter. Doing it every day is a bit different isn’t it?

Marie I wasn’t referring to stickerbook lover she being low energy- I meant the OPs description of what occupies her toddler (“standing on a stool watching me cook”)

*quiet not quite

londonmummyof1

I agree with you and I have always done the same. We have recently introduced about 20 min twice a day at the week end when they play games. They are older than yours though and are on a timer and it works great.

The biggest difference between a child who will “achieve” something for his life and who is ambitious enough to go for it and one that will not is the interaction they received from the moment they were born ie. talking to them even if it is only descriptive at the beginning, helping them turning the page of a book, playing games etc. With an interacting adult that cares: parents, grand parents, carers, etc. Not being plonked on an ipad all the of the wake time. So I think OP has a point.

Ours can access the computer pretty much anytime they want (not during the school week unless homework related as tgey are super busy between school and clubs and lights are off at 8pm. They are 9.5 and 8 yrs old) for research on google, photoshop and powerpoint which they love but again i look at the time. But if they are DOING something and engaging their brain then time is not as limited.

Technology is great because it helps achieving things: coding, robotic, graphic design, presentation, movies etc. So that should never be limited. It is the games that we limit. Then again my youngest is building an amazing stone age world in minecraft. The other is on a mystery game where she has to solve enigmas so i suppose im a bit “happier”. But that is limited.

These techy things are just part of life now whether you like it or not

of course, I have tons of tech. But there is still room for social and emotional interaction, learning manners, turn taking, motor skills. All of which can be learnt eating out. I even have teenagers who put their phones away automatically when eating out.

“Tech is not something you can educate yourself in these days. By the time your tech savvy 3 year old is 23, it will have changed beyond recognition. Better to concentrate on social, physical and emotional skills tbh”

Tech contributes to literacy. Being tech free is a literary disadvantage for your child. In the same way growing up in a house with no book is.

Potofmemories, but some things we were better off without.

I talk to teenagers about this, the majority of them say their lives would be easier without tech. Social media stresses them out so much.

I meant the OPs description of what occupies her toddler (“standing on a stool watching me cook”

yup, mine loved that too. It's not that weird or unusual.

I don't use tech durning meals by the way. I enjoy chatting to my dd and for the time being she doesn't seem to mind either.
Tbh I never really considered it - it's not ideological thing.

Tech contributes to literacy. Being tech free is a literary disadvantage for your child

that's rubbish.

“Today 12:47 Gretol

You didn’t have a phone to give them
Though did you?

fucking hell, seriously, how old ARE you?”

What are you on about? Younger than you. Old enough to remember being bored in restaurants or being sent out to the pub garden for hours on end alone.

That’s not rubbish at all.

Perhaps the kids who are quite, more compliant, easier to handle etc etc - are that way because they don't have a screen shoved in front of their nose every time they squeak or leave the house

Nah - she's been that way since she was born and has had access to any tech she wanted for as long as she wanted

Op, your post reminds me of my first holiday abroad after giving birth.

Every one else got out their iPads and had perfectly quiet children. We didn't have an iPad back then, so we had the screaming child who could not be placated. Worse than that, the waiter helpfully suggested they bring out his food early, which they did, but it was all finished in 5 minutes and back to loud protestations. I looked around in envy at everyone else enjoying their holiday meal. My husband and I fell out over it, and evened up eating separately while the other person walks around with said child to keep him quiet.

We could play with cards as he was too young
Same with stickers
Drawing was impossible, but at that time we didn't yet know he would be hyper mobile and still have problems holding his pen in the middle school.
We tried some favourite stories but that wasn't cutting it. He just wasn't in the mood.
I'd have given anything to draw up a chair the other side of another kid and have him settled for longer than 5 minutes.

Having said all that I worry about how continual use of technology affects humans generally, not just developing minds. But if we take a stand then we might as well go back to living in a cave, because that's how it would feel and be interpreted. So we are all stuck with it.