The iPad Kids are Becoming iPad Adults
Last week I went out to lunch with my parents. While this is nothing out of the ordinary, the behavior of some of the people sitting around us really came as a shock. It wasn’t that people were complaining about the food, or otherwise being rude to the restaurant staff, but the fact that the adults at the table next us were ignoring their child in favor of playing on their phones.
At this point I’m quite used to seeing young children glued to their screens in public — it’s not uncommon for me to criticize the choice to use screens as babysitters — but to see a child sitting quietly waiting for her food while her parents sat across the table from her glued to a phone screen was so out of the norm in my mind. I’ve previously written about my opinions on children having unlimited screen time, and how there are many studies showing the detrimental effect of relying on screens for entertainment and communication. This dependency on screens is resulting in children not developing proper social skills, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and even physical impacts like text-neck.
In the same restaurant at a table right next to this one, another set of young parents and their child set a completely different example. These parents had no tech in sight, and were rather playing with the little girl’s stuffed animal. This sight was much more similar to my own experience growing up — my parents would bring a doll, or a coloring book to a restaurant to keep me entertained. Even now, when we have a meal as a family we enforce a ‘no phones at the table rule’. This type of play — hands on, imaginative play — has sparked neuroscience studies to examine the benefits. A recent study by Harvard in the wake of the 2023 Barbie movie release states that “Though children may have experienced reduced cognitive and social stimulation outside of their homes over the past 22 months, doll play offers the opportunity for kids to emulate scenes and interactions from their daily lives… kids can practice key social skills and language about others’ thoughts and emotions through doll play, even when playing alone.” Especially after losing so much critical social development time to the pandemic, this type of play is so important to encourage emotional and social awareness.
Maybe I’m just sentimental as a college student who chose to go to school 700 miles from home, but I think if you’re going to take the time, and spend the money to go out to a restaurant with your family, you should actually be spending time with your family, not your cell phone. I’m not a parent, nor do I plan to become one, so really it’s not my place to criticize others parenting choices. But as a future teacher and educator, I’m scared to see the impact our dependency on technology will have on the kids that wind up in my classroom.
If as a society we preach not relying on technology for entertainment, how can we teach our children this if we can’t lead by example?
