Do your young children use the tablet better than you?

• I don’t know how to use my smartphone, that’s why I tell my children to help me …
• My daughter is very intelligent, she knows how to use the tablet better than me …
• My children are very calm, whenever we go out they entertain themselves with their tablet …
• I no longer know what to do with my son, whenever I tell him to stop playing on his tablet he gets angry….

Well, it seems that we have fallen into the belief that a tablet or a smartphone is part of the development, education and entertainment of our children in our days, however, and without knowing it in most cases, we are allowing damage that can be irreversible if actions are not taken in time.

Although new technologies have brought benefits for the development of society in many areas, including in the education sector, it is worth paying attention to some important data that will help us make better decisions when leaving it in the hands of our children this type of device.

Points to keep in mind when interacting with these devices

• At the ages of 0 – 12 years, children need to develop motor skills, socialization, literacy, language, exercise, explore their environment and more, according to the stage of development in which they are, something that no mobile device can give to. All of this is more important than learning a password or downloading the trendy APP to beat your own and your friends’ records on Facebook. The characteristics of these mobile devices, all “touch”, instant response with a single touch, multitasking, etc., are transferred from the digital world to the real world, making children want things fast, easy and in the moment leaving aside patience, tolerance, obedience and the effort that must be made to get the things they want.

• The use of tablets and smartphones, especially when they are used by our little ones to entertain themselves and play with their favorite application shortly before bedtime, is associated with sleep disorders, thus making it difficult for the little ones to sleep. This is because artificial light in the retina inhibits the neurons that induce sleep and activates those that cause insomnia in the hypothalamus.

• The interaction of our children with the so-called “gadgets” in a usual or daily way, is inhibiting in them the creativity that should characterize them at this stage of development. Why is this happening? Because most applications offer our children easy solutions , ready-made methods, pre-designed sequences that generate solutions, achievements and answers with just a few taps, nothing compared to playing in the garden or in the playroom with playdough, pieces assembly (not those that have instructions to assemble a specific figure), crafts, etc.

• And without a doubt, one of the most worrisome effects is addiction and the consequent tendency to be violent, when using this type of device in an unlimited way. Being part of their day to day, the unlimited use of these devices (due to the obvious permissiveness of parents), can generate violent behaviors in our children when asking to turn it off, be punished or even for the simple fact of running out of battery, leading to attitudes of helplessness and anger at not achieving his goal of continuing to “entertain” himself with his favorite app.

Although these are just some of the negative effects that the use of these devices can generate in our little ones, it is worth saying that not everything is a cause of tragedy and alarm, leaving it up to us, the parents, the introduction of our children to the world of technology, with the limits and rules appropriate to their age and what each family believes is best for their development and happiness.

We’d love to hear from you about your experiences on this topic.

All opinions are welcome!