{"id":32082,"date":"2023-10-20T14:26:59","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/i-want-my-ipad-are-our-kids-getting-addicted-to-technology-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T14:26:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:26:59","slug":"i-want-my-ipad-are-our-kids-getting-addicted-to-technology-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/i-want-my-ipad-are-our-kids-getting-addicted-to-technology-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"I WANT MY iPAD! Are our kids getting addicted to technology? – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
Are toddlers really becoming addicted to technology? There\u2019s certainly a lot of media hype to suggest that they are. And there\u2019s no question the footage of small children breaking down when their tablet is taken away is unsettling:<\/p>\n
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Footage such as this is often aimed at showing the evils of technology and the myriad ways digital devices engender bad behaviour among children.<\/p>\n
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Viewers are often put in a position where they naturally try to apportion blame for such behaviour. In this case, the apparent targets are the technology and even the parents.<\/p>\n
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As an expert in children, technology and learning, I question the purpose and proper interpretation of content such as this, regardless of whether it\u2019s presented on prime time TV<\/a>, headlining a newspaper<\/a> or a new addition to a parenting blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In recent years society has been inundated with scare tactics around children\u2019s increasing use of technology. To date, media articles have blamed technology for various ills in society such as obesity, insomnia, violence, aggression and language development issues.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, these scare tactics often succeed because they cause a sense of guilt among adults and perpetuate a sense of loss of control.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n But this type of thinking doesn\u2019t make sense. It suggests that by removing technology from their lives, children will be fitter rather than overweight, and mental health problems such as aggression and depression will diminish. Children\u2019s health and happiness are essential goals, but magic wand thinking is not going to get us there.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The other obvious target of blame when watching the above footage are the parents themselves, and their seeming lack of ability to control their children\u2019s use of technology.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n But, as any parent knows, young children can have tantrums over many things. At this age they\u2019re often not psychologically equipped to delay gratification, so we shouldn\u2019t be surprised at their response to technology. In addition, just because they can\u2019t delay gratification now doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t develop the capacity later in life.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Blaming parents for indulging their children is easy, yet many parents correctly recognise that technology is an essential part of modern life. Many professions now require the use of multiple devices over the course of a working day.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, much of our social lives have migrated online, requiring us to make use of technology to stay in touch with our friends and colleagues. Even government support agencies require individuals go online to make a claim or submit an enquiry.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Forbidding children to use electronic devices hampers their ability to engage with the modern world. Research shows that technology offers many educational benefits for children.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n These include encouraging them to work with more complex ideas from an earlier age<\/a>, promoting skills in collaboration and problem solving, accelerating learning in the first year of school<\/a>, helping<\/a> children with learning challenges<\/a> and enhancing mathematics learning<\/a>. School curricula around the word rely on technology for this very reason.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\nEmbracing technology<\/h2>\n