Ah, technology, our most seductive of cultural crutches, I mean, conveniences. We’ve all been at the tail end of a 4-hour car trip that became a 7-hour car trip when we finally said, “here just take it!” and shoved an iphone toward the back seat. Or we’ve managed to snag a 5:30 reservation at the new hotness, but as we sit down someone pitches a fit because they don’t serve “dino nuggets.” So we are forced to place before said nugget connosieur a smooth, shining ipad, a technological plate filled with a feast of games and videos that will keep our little technocratic busy until the check comes and our second cocktail fully kicks in. These devices are a godsend in many a harried and frazzled moment, like when you want cook dinner or want to poop by yourself. But what if all this convenience is actually costing us something? Could taking the easy road really have repercussions down the line? Nooooo. (I apologize now for putting into writing what that little voice inside has been saying all along)
Turns out, this techno crap is not as amazing as it seems. Sure, an ipad isn’t as bad as tv. But, really . . .really think about those words. Yes, ipads (and iphones, which I will now just lump in with ipads) are more interactive in a way tv never was. Ipads surpass video games because of their educational components, from learning to write letters and early reading apps, to puzzles and problem solving. But that said, you lose the fine motor control gained in manipulating a pencil rather than using a fingertip, or manipulating physical puzzle pieces or even the action of flipping a card in a game of memory. Not to mention the whole human interaction thing, which is actually how kids learn best. Jane M. Healy an educational psychologist who specializes in the effect of computer technology on growing brains and author of Different Learners: Identifying, Preventing and Treating Your Child’s Learning Problems says “All indications are that instead of increasing their intelligence, it’s going to dull it down.” Healy goes on to say that “What’s most important for a young child’s brain development is interacting in conversation.”
So what’s the big deal, you say, my kid barely interacts with me even when I’m on the floor building a Magnatile masterpiece with her. The problem isn’t right now, but later. Later when we want our kids to be able to play on their own for large chunks of time without electronic aid. When we want our kids to self-soothe. When we want our teenagers to put the phone down for three seconds, make eye contact and act like we exist. This is about the long game. Researchers at Barnard College’s renowned Center for Toddler Development say the “imagination needs to be exercised like a muscle in order for creativity to be developed. Over time, children’s play became more elaborate and three-dimensional.” So giving them something that generates the games for them, and guides them through the play, actually prevents them from working out this muscle. Researchers also make the point that if we consistently give our kids ipads to soothe them in tricky situations (the car, the restaurant, the living room at four in the afternoon because we just can’t make it to dinner time), we are making it harder for them to learn strategies to soothe themselves.
We all need help sometimes. This parenting thing can be a bitch. What all this research is pointing to is what research always points to: making thoughtful, considered choices. We need to take a moment, we need to be more intentional when we hand over the technology to our kids, we need to reserve it for true emergencies, so that it always works. Because we don’t want to raise a generation of videogame addicts who are always needing more and more, always searching for that perfect high (Disregard all of this if you and your kid are on a plane).