Published in Mobiles

Giving tots an iPad is a bad idea

by on15 August 2024


Turns them into monsters

While Apple fanboys might think giving their tots an iPad is a good idea to shut them up, new research suggests cutting back on the practice.

A study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that children logging 75 minutes or more of daily screen time on an iPad at 3 1/2 years old were more apt to outbursts of anger and frustration a year later.

At 4 1/2 years old, kids more apt to express anger and frustration were likely to spend even more time on an iPad a year later, progressively turning them into self-absorbed balls of screaming fury.

The study's author, Caroline Fitzpatrick, a professor of child development at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, told CBS Evening News said giving a kid an iPad does not allow parents to avoid a temper tantrum immediately “but in the long term, repeated use of this kind of strategy does not allow children to develop strong, internal emotional regulation skills."

The study's findings are based on a survey of 315 parents of preschool-aged children living in Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants self-reported their kids' iPad use at 3 1/2 years of age, a year later at 4 1/2 years old, and then at 5 1/2 years old in 2022. Parents also answered standard questions to assess their children's expressions of anger.

The Tame Apple Press is doing its best to spin the story claiming that some Apple fanboyrs and girls find giving their precious snowflakes an iPad can be a big help, without causing any apparent harm.

Atlanta mother Farrah Butler occasionally allows her 3-year-old son, Oliver, to play on an iPad, particularly when she needs a break or is trying to get something done, such as cook dinner.

"The screen is helpful when you're trying to get daily tasks done when they want you to play and you just need to take a few minutes," Butler said.

She and her husband found that Oliver and his two siblings didn't mind much when their mobile screens were taken away. "They found other things to do with their time," she claimed.

Last modified on 15 August 2024
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