The iPad is a Far Bigger Threat to Our Children Than Anyone Realizes

[mountaineer]

The iPad is a Far Bigger Threat to Our Children Than Anyone Realizes
Ten years ago, psychologist Sue Palmer predicted the toxic effects of social media. Now she sees a worrying new danger…

When the little girl pointed at the sweets at the checkout, her mother said: ‘No, they’re bad for your teeth.’ So her daughter, who was no more than two, did what small children often do at such times. She threw a tantrum.

What happened next horrified me. The embarrassed mother found her iPad in her bag and thrust it into her daughter’s hands. Peace was restored immediately.

This incident, which happened three years ago, was the first time I saw a tablet computer used as a pacifier. It certainly wasn’t the last. Since then, I’ve seen many tiny children barely able to toddle yet expertly swiping an iPad – not to mention countless teenagers, smartphone in hand, lost to the real world as they tap out texts.

It’s ten years since the publication of my book, Toxic Childhood, which warned of the dangers of too much screen-time on young people’s physical and mental health. My fears have been realised. Though I was one of the first to foresee how insidiously technology would penetrate youngsters’ lives, even I’ve been stunned at how quickly even the tiniest have become slaves to screens – and how utterly older ones are defined by their virtual personas.  ...

One of the most depressing examples of a totally screen-based childhood involved a ten-year-old in London. The overweight, pasty-faced little lad told me: ‘I sit in my room and I watch my telly and play on my computer . . . and if I get hungry I text down to my mum and she brings me up a pizza.’   ...

Rest of article at SomeDaily

[Sanguine]

It's not Ipad use; it's bad parenting. 

[catfish1957]

It's not Ipad use; it's bad parenting.

Took the words right out my mouth verbatim.

Maybe that's the next left tactic.  Try to control technology like they are trying to control guns.

[mountaineer]

Definitely. Using a device - whether TV or the internet - in lieu of actual parenting.

[truth_seeker]

Not more than 5 years ago, my wife and I casual dined at a hamburger-fries joint, and she observed a booth with four young adults, all staring into their smartphones.

A few days ago we were together, on a senior citizen couples morning, at the blood lab. The next day she observed that everybody was staring into their smartphones. All ages.

Properly used, they can make people far more productive. Or just play games.

[mountaineer]