Why oh why are people giving their under 12s tablets?

[Bigpinksweater]

The evidence regarding the effects of tablets on developing brains is damning. They are absolutely not necessary and barely existed 15 years ago. We are seeing huge rises in behavioural and developmental issues while steadfastly ignoring the fact screen time and in particular tablets can contribute to virtually all of them.

Why oh why are people still handing their toddlers and primary school children tablets?

Our school homework for my 5 year old / year 1child has to be done on a tablet. It’s an app. It’s a nightmare.

My primary age child has an iPad from the Scottish government… 🤷‍♀️

Ours is too, I just said we didn’t have a tablet and wouldn’t buy one. I’m a complete conformist usually but I felt very irked by it.

What?!

What did they say? Did they allow that? I don’t particularly believe in that kind of home work for her age anyway (obviously reading) but they only get their house points if they have done it on the app!

Lots of things "barely existed" 15 years ago.

There was a thread yesterday from a poster whose 5 year old has an iPad for 30 hours over a weekend.

That’s awful. They didn’t say anything to us - DD is on track attainment wise so maybe they didn’t want to pick that particular battle. Obviously we read to her and we do maths and English books together, the type you can buy from WH Smith.

for 15 hours a day!?!?

Every school child from Primary 6 to the end of high school so age 9+ is now being given an iPad in Scotland.

Yes but my point is they’re not something which has become such a long term part of our life and culture that to remove them would cause genuine disruption, like the TV.

I’m truly lost for words

Smartphones are more harmful than tablets because by their nature they are more portable and it means constant access to the internet. I have more of an issue with smartphones but that’s an unpopular view because “safety”. I don’t have an issue with tablets if they are locked down and parents are restricting usage so kids aren’t on them all day.

@Polyestered
Yes. From the minute he woke up until he goes to bed.

My 22 and 24 year old had tablets when they were 8, they played games on them, watched movies on them . They used them in the living room and weren’t allowed them in their bedrooms at that age. Both mine are quite geeky and loved to learn, they were able to research many different topics on their tablets.

each to their own, mine never had tvs in their rooms, still don’t!

Primary school has homework on apps. DC2 is in Y6, and she has been set app homework since Year R. This isn't a new thing. She has numbots in KS1, and now times table rock star. She also get spelling on EdShed. It's either phone or tablet.

12 year old is in secondary school in England. DC1 school homework is set on an app, with many of the homework either on other apps, or email + Microsoft 360. A lot of the homework requires YouTube too.

My dc don't have tablets. But I'm a massive hypocrite because I spent most of the 90s glued to donkey kong and Kirby's pinball on my Gameboy.

I’m glad homework isn’t on an app / iPad here. We don’t have one

It’s so depressing seeing 2 and 3 year olds in buggies staring as tablets as they’re being pushed through a town centre.

I thought you meant paracetamol capsules versus calpol…

Tell me more about homework that requires youtube

There's an Outstanding Academy chain that has been in the news for being so great according to Ofsted. All the children there do lots of their work on tablets, have virtual lessons with other schools in the Academy chain and do all their home learning, reading, everything on a screen.

Personally it sounded awful to me and I can't imagine giving really young children so much screen time at school when you know that many of them will be handed a tablet as soon as they leave.

But if governments and Ofsted are supporting and facilitating it to the extent that they supply the devices, how are parents to properly understand, assess and manage the risks?

Can you link the research please. The BBC produced an article recently suggesting that there is no proven link between tablets and the numerous issues that are blamed on them. The metaphor that was used was that eating icecream goes up in summer and cases of skin cancer increase in summer but it would be wrong to suggest that ice cream causes skin cancer

I agree with this

Screen time to prevent children becoming bored is a real issue

One size does not fit all !!!

My autistic DS had a mini iPad at 4 yrs old and became a fluent reader and good with numbers before he started school (at 5yrs old in Ireland).

Teachers relied on his IT skills in primary school to help with unreliable technology fails in the classroom.

He’s now a budding musician who very occasionally plays computer games.

They said the same about Television and DS rarely watches tv. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Bigpinksweater
How much TV did you watch growing up ?