Parenting expert and clinical psychologist David Coleman on why a toddler should not use a tablet […].
Even if you limit your daughter’s tablet use to watching and listening to nursery rhymes, it is still bad for her. You need to get rid of the tablet and any other screens while she is around.
As far back as 1999, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommended that parents don’t let their children have any screen time, under age two, and that after this age, screen time should be limited.
That was 17 years ago. You may argue that technology and the potential benefits of technology have moved on considerably since then. But, the most recent article I came across, from 2015, from the National Center for Health Research, again highlighted all the dangers of screens for small children. The article can be found at center4research.org/child-teen-health/early-childhood-development/young-children-and-screen-time-television-dvds-computer
I do urge you to read it. It is a concise gathering of recent literature on the area of young children and screen time. I’ll give you some headline stats from it.
For example, the more TV a child under three watches, the more likely he is to have trouble with reading and paying attention later on. The more television a baby eight to 16 months old watches, the fewer words she knows.
Even having screens on in the background makes a difference. Children play less intently and for shorter periods of time if a TV is on in the room with them. Parents are distracted and less attuned to their children’s needs, affecting the quality of their interactions when there is a TV on in the room.
Research shows that the more television infants and toddlers are exposed to, the more likely they are to be inactive and obese, have difficulty sleeping, and show aggression. […]
To see the original article, click here.