This was a topic being discussed on a daytime television programme this week.
Personally, I think that too much tech can have a negative effect on children.
My eldest son loved his play station and would become moody when told to turn it off. A friend has told me that her son would trash his bedroom in temper if he wasn’t allowed to spend time on his tablet.
Studies in Canada say that children under the age of 2 shouldn’t have any screen time; however, my youngest granddaughter learnt all about numbers, shapes and colours from watching you tube videos on her mum’s phone.
Read about number recognition here
My eldest learnt many letters of the alphabet from watching Blockbusters and Sesame Street on the television.
Helping and encouraging children to read here
When my grandson came to stay at around 4 years old, he looked forward to his uncle coming home because he liked to play games on his phone; this didn’t appear to impact on him at all.
Parents sometimes let their children have screen time to get some peace, colouring books and pens would allow this also, without having an effect on behaviour
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Children also need parents to spend time chatting to them with eye contact to be able to learn to communicate
How children learn to speak here
One of my son’s used to become violent after watching wrestling on the television; he would ask his dad to lie on the floor and would body slam him, like he had seen on T,V. We made the decision to stop him watching wrestling, he watched cartoons instead which interrupted his sleep pattern!
Night terrors or sweet dreams here
So is tech making our children violent? All things in moderation is my motto. I would be interested to here what others think.
If your child is having too much screen time read my tips here
As always questions and comments are welcome and please share on social media if you think others would benefit from reading this.
Until next time.
Karen
x
As you mentioned every thing in moderation ,the Internet can be a wealth of information and children can learn so much using it . We often see really young babies playing with mobile phones. A very interesting topic Karen . It’s difficult to know if it is a good thing or not.
Everything in moderation I agree, and fascinating about the wrestling which I guess goes to prove just how much our children ARE affected by every input they receive in life. Personally I tried to avoid screen including TV until age 3 (managed to age 2!) and I’m all about learning in nature so screen learning is a no for me. Being present with our children and aware of their emotions means we can monitor their screen time and adapt to their responses to it. Thought provoking read! #kidsandkreativity
I think there has to be a balance and that new technologies have always proved threatening to older generations. The wireless, the telly, the Industrial Revolution even. I guess history will tell us what mistakes we made and also any benefits. I really feared video games would make my children violent but I now have 3 intelligent, caring and sensitive teens. #GlobalBlogging
I agree with your motto – all things in moderation. I am more concerned with the addiction than violence.
#AnythingGoes
I think all things are OK in moderation. When we were kids we were told that TV would rot our brains and rock and roll was ruining us. I’m sure there will be something else down the road #KCACOLS
Definitely moderation and keeping an eye on what they are doing online. I never gave my youngsters technology when they were little (it wasn’t around when my eldest where young so I didn’t even think of it with my youngest three.) It’s funny what you said about the wrestling though. Many years ago my friends boys would watch wrestling on television and would always be ‘play fighting.’ at the end of the day they turned out well turned out adults so it wasnt really a problem.
Totally agree, everything in moderation.
Too much screen time is a concern for us too as our toddler likes to request her favourite shows. Although she is also happy to play with games and toys.
I don’t mind her watching her shows, she’s learnt a lot from it and at 24months can count to 13 and has a pretty big vocabulary already. But i am conscious she doesn’t watch too much.
#BloggerClubUK
I think moderation is key with everything X #dreamteam
Popping back to see you via #StayClassyMama
I read somewhere that it’s the level of focus for long periods that causes the anger (it’s like an imploding of exhaustion when they suddenly stop) – that sort of made sense to me. I go to gaming conventions (to supervise the kids) and I’m amazed at what lovely, patient and kind people are there. They will merrily wait in line for 2-3 hours to try a new game. The parents at Disney on Ice popcorn stand behave much worse…so I’m a little out on this. And the studies seem to split 50/50 on the cause or it pacifies those with that personality…..#Stayclassymama (It does altter eyesight tho, esp if they start very young)
Thanks, Lydia for stopping by and sharing your thoughts
It’s just very addictive isn’t it and all consuming of someones attention, but to be fair when we were younger my brother was the same with TV and as a kid I walked around with my head constantly in a book, ignoring anyone and even refusing to eat if I was reading though a good bit. So go figure-I guess everything (even books) need to be in moderation! #kidsandkreativity
Limiting screen time does seem to help kids become more focused and able to engage in imaginative play. I think boredom is a valuable tool.
I am going to echo what everyone else is saying because I agree with it, everything in moderation. Just like everything else in life. I mean, I remember getting mad when I was told to come inside from playing with my brother or riding my bike. My youngest son used to be the same way. He hated coming in when he was having so much fun outside. He also gets moody when told to get off the computer but every kid gets moody when told to stop doing what they are enjoying.
#anythinggoes
I certainly see moodiness from too much ‘tablet’ time. TV is different. But I agree that moderation is key. I also think that my little one has learnt a lot from watching some of these programmes and videos. #KCACOLS
I agree that moderation is key. I really don’t like letting my 4 year old use a tablet (and the only thing she uses my phone for is to take millions of pictures!), but we do often have the tv on – probably more than we should. Even though it’s on in the background, I encourage my children to play, rather than sit staring at the TV and we seem to have a reasonable balance at the minute. #StayClassyMama
I think it’s all about moderation and ensuring they’re not watching anything that isn’t age appropriate. I can agree if they’re spending too much time on phones, IPads etc then it can definitely have a negative impact, particularly if what they are watching / playing isn’t suitable #KCACOLS
There are certain games that we won’t let our son play on the computer because he gets so caught up in them and can get quite worked up. I agree with everyone else though that, in general, it’s a case of everything in moderation. We aim for a balance of screen time and other activities. x #KCACOLS
My 3 year old loves his kinlde. He is exceptionally bright and is currently learning the alphabet in Russian courtesy of YouTube (he then sings it and can write the letters so it isn’t exclusive screen time). I wish he would play more but he just isn’t interested in anything other than learning. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
Wow! That’s really impressive, Laura, thanks for stopping by and sharing
I think it’s more about what you let them watch vs. how much they watch it. Screen time does have benefits, but it needs to be monitored. I wouldn’t dream about letting my kids watch anything violent. Whilst I don’t limit their time, I do make sure they are aware it is a treat and not a necessity. Thanks for linking up with #KidsandKreativity, really hope to see you back next time