iPad Kids: A product of our own screentime addiction
Studies have now shown that these screen-addicted toddlers’ development is impacted by their habits with electronics.
Introduction
“iPad Kids” is a rampant joke among young people on social media platforms, with the hashtag having over 525 million views on TikTok. It is defined as “a child who gets all of its entertainment from an iPad (or other types of technology) and thus secludes itself from the world around it” (Pursel).
Users love to mock iPad Kids’ short attention spans, extreme reactions to having their device taken away, and the positions in which they watch their iPads.
Studies and Surveys
JAMA Pediatrics’ (a peer-reviewed, international medical journal) study was published the study on August 21st of this year, comprised 7097 mother-child pairs, with the key question being how screentime ranging from 1–4 hours beginning at age one affects development from ages 2–4. Various development skills, such as communication, gross and fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills were self-reported by mothers and analyzed as the children grew.
The study found that kids who had >4 hours of screen time were almost 5 times more likely to have grown into stunted communication skills, 2 times more likely to have stunted personal and social skills, and nearly 2 times more likely to have stunted fine motor skills.
A study from 2021, found in the National Library of Medicine, tracked early 20-year-olds’ daily screen time use, with the subject being how COVID-19 impacted their daily device usage. They found that screentime among these young adults increased by an average of 2.6 hours weekly from 2018, going from 25.9 hours in 2018 to 28.5 during the pandemic. Of course, that was during the pandemic, but these adults, in the study the mean age was around 24.7, are likely having children of their own, and are likely carrying on some habits from the pandemic.
Pew Research Center conducted a survey of parents in 2020, titled “Parenting Children in the Age of Screens.” The survey touched on children’s engagement with screens, parents’ views on the media their kids consume, parental approaches and concerns related to devices, and parental attitudes and experiences with devices. Below are some graphs from the survey illustrating some findings: the majority of parents believe that potential harm from screens outweighs the benefits, that screens hurt their children’s social skills, and that parents feel distracted by their own devices when spending time with their children.
So What?
Essentially, kids do not have choices in how they develop habits, emotionally regulate themselves, or mentally mature; managing those crucial aspects of the child’s life and growth is the responsibility of the parent. Yes, technology has grown to become quite pervasive in our everyday lives, but when a kid is visibly underdeveloped mentally and socially because of technology that parents willingly give to their children, that’s a problem.
Generations Z and Alpha are the first generations born into an age of personal devices, with everyone carrying around their phone, laptop, tablet, etc. This should impact the way that we live our lives, and it has: the education sector is employing technology in mass, Email as a whole, digitizing records, developing AI, and seriously so much more.
But with great power comes great responsibility. As toddlers, kids’ minds ARE sponges, they absorb everything around them to learn language, and social, and physical skills to eventually reach crucial milestones as young humans. Shoving a screen in front of their face every time they cry or giving a parent a break isn’t the answer, it’s been scientifically proven in many studies to cause harm to development. Since young adults and parents do use technology to emotionally regulate themselves or to pass the time, that doesn’t make it a smart or productive thing to introduce into the lives of their young children who are impacted by nearly everything during their toddlerhood.
What the future could look like:
We all know that technology is only going to advance, and those revolutionary improvements will be in our hands before we know it. We must understand how it can hurt and help us.
Not giving a child a screen at all isn’t the answer, it’s about moderation. Experts recommend educational videos or games as content on screens for children’s consumption, not solely TV Shows, short YouTube videos weakening kids’ attention spans, or mindless video games.
Additionally, some level of normalcy in terms of society is also something to consider. Being completely opposed to screens is a personal decision but think about how that would impact a kid later down the line, when they go to a friend’s house, watch TV, and can’t stop since they’ve never watched any before.
I’m eager to see what type of teenagers and adults these iPad kids grow up to be. Will they be emotionally immature for their age? Have unnecessary outbursts of rage? Maybe they’ll be incredibly technologically inclined? Only time will tell.
All things considered, screen time, and how to manage parents’ screens, and content on devices is more than necessary when raising children, especially during this “Age of Technology”.
Bibliography:
Ward, Victoria. “Toddlers Becoming so Addicted to iPads They Require Therapy.” The Telegraph, 21 Apr. 2013, www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/10008707/Toddlers-becoming-so-addicted-to-iPads-they-require-therapy.html. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.
Wagner, Brooke E., et al. “Recreational Screen Time Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.: A Mixed-Methods Study among a Diverse Population-Based Sample of Emerging Adults.” National Library of Medicine, 27 Apr. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8123581/. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.
Auxier, Brooke, et al. “Parenting Kids in the Age of Screens.” Pew Research Center, 28 Jul. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/07/28/parenting-children-in-the-age-of-screens/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.
Takahasi, Ippei, et al. “Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years.” Jama Network, 21 Aug. 2023, Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years | Child Development | JAMA Pediatrics | JAMA Network. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.
Rogers, Kristen. “Screen Time Linked with Developmental Delays in Toddlerhood, Study Finds.” CNN Health, 21 Aug. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/08/21/health/screen-time-child-development-delays-risks-wellness/index.html. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.
Pursel, Bart Ph.D. “IST 110: Introduction to Information Sciences and Technology.” Sites at PSU, 23 Jan. 2022, sites.psu.edu/ist110pursel/2022/01/23/the-infamous-ipad-kid/ Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.
