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.

I'd love to see the look on a restaurant owners face when I rock up with my three kids and some Play Doh

By the time a toddler is old enough to get a job as a computer programmer, there will be no such role as 'Computer Programmer' as the function will be performed by robots

Who do you think will program the robots?

Yes, seriously.

Ha. Come and try and get my 2yo ds to sit at the fucking dinner table for for than 8 seconds without one. He has ants in his pants and is not motivated in the slightest by food. Crafts/stickers/colouring takes up at least 37 whole seconds before he's bored of that buggers off leaving me to take longer tidying up than he spent playing. We read, we do all the crafty crap, he goes to preschool, we swim most evenings, go to softplay blah blah blah. An iPad and what you seem to consider more highbrow or superior activities aren't mutually exclusive ya know.... I'm pretty sure ds is NT. Although I did find a grimbot in the fridge once. Maybe I have ruined him with all the screen time. 🙄

Pathological - where is your actual research that proves all you claim please? I'd be very interested to read it as I have a first class degree in Primary Ed Studies focusing on learning, a PGCE and a Masters in Education with a focus on the role of technology in education. I've just had more funding for more research into the same subject.

My research proves quite the opposite to what you are claiming.

Also this?

Children do not need to know anything about technology

You are wrong. Very wrong.

@HolyGibney Are food alergies and vomiting tendencies the only factors of influence over a child's table manners? Are you seriously suggesting my twelve years of face to face dinner table tuition have had no influence on how my child behaves at the table? I think you're being a bit silly. Sorry to hear you battle has been harder than mine but I can assure you that PDA is no easy ride either.

By the way OP I hope you're limiting your own screen time whilst updating on here as it would be a good idea to maybe lead by example.

You can be confident you you are parenting YOUR child in the best way for them without judging other people who are living in different circumstances with different challenges.

Just because someone has a different approach doesn’t mean anyone is wrong.

PathologicalDemandAvoidance
My p.s. is very relevant. Despite having a child prone to extreme distractibility, demand refusal and attention seeking behavior, I have managed to train her to be well behaved in restaurants and to eat whatever food I put n front of her.
Are you talking about a child here or a puppy?

Londonmummy;
@NordicNobody I completely understand what you mean, so I let mine “help” during cleaning and cooking. She likes being responsible for tasks so I give her a simple task - she quite likes wiping her table or toys or sweeping! She has a mini children’s toy sweeper and uses that while I vacuum and clean.
While cooking, she has a little children’s stool from Ikea and watches me cook and I let her wash vegetables etc or help with some tasks like mashing if we have mashed potatoes for examples.

I do believe that some children are given too much time on screens but that is the fault of those parents - do you honestly believe that a parent who uses screens unreasonably would be bothered to take the time to read, chat etc?

YABVVVU for teaching your child wife work at such a young age - I'm more astounded at that - has her own sweeper so that she can copy you doing the vacuuming????

@fission chips. The robots will program me the robots, that is the essence of a 'Technocracy', which is style of societal system we will be living under.

Don’t be daft, it’ll be hundreds of years before no human input is needed. You remind me of those science videos from the 70’s that claim we would all be living on the moon by 2000.

@Shmithycat. If he is NT but cannot focus on anything for longer than a few minutes then it does sound like he's grown up having everything happen in a split second due to using gadgets.

Are food alergies and vomiting tendencies the only factors of influence over a child's table manners? Are you seriously suggesting my twelve years of face to face dinner table tuition have had no influence on how my child behaves at the table?

No. You are the one that suggested your child has beautiful table manners and a varied diet because of your input with the implication that if everyone else put the work you did in, then we could all have the same. I suggested you consider that you have been very lucky that you didn't have other issues to contend with because if you had your twelve years of input would have achieved precisely zilch.

Not really. Just harder to diagnose.

Gosh, it really doesn't sound as if you have a clue about child development. What are your qualifications?

PathologicalDemandAvoidance your child's disability is different from my child's so why do you think that the things that can be done with your child can be done with any other child?

@ICantCopeAnymore

Qualifications are one thing, sense another.

Silicon Valley parents agree with me, hence their parenting rule being 'no technology'.

@Scmithecat. Parenting is, in part, training. Did you not realise that?

Ah, so you don't actually have any qualifications in anything to do with the subject you're spouting on about?

I thought as much. It's pretty clear you have no idea. It doesn't seem like you have much sense either to be honest.

Thankfully, I have both qualifications and sense, so can categorically state that you're talking absolute crap.

Hahahahaaa. No.

We wouldn't be able to go anywhere with DS2 who has severe autism, adhd and learning difficulties without electronics.

So no, we're not staying home so the prissy perfect parent crew can feel smug.

PathologicalDemandAvoidance I can't decide either you're a wind up merchant or whether you actually think that you're the perfect parent, and that your way is the only way. You should write a book.

Oh and PDA isn't rare. Just not diagnosed very often. Two of mine have it but are just diagnosed with boring old standard autism.