Wired Child

by Richard Freed

  The latest brain imaging studies reveal that young children’s interactions with parents and other adult caregivers shape the architecture of the developing mind, building brain cell connections and brain volume. A use it or lose it principle exists. Brain cells and synapses (the connections between brain cells) that aren’t stimulated during a child’s early years are pruned away, and may never fully develop later. Because infants and toddlers need lots of loving exchanges with real-life caregivers, the American Academy of Pediatrics states: “Young children learn best from—and need—interaction with humans, not screens.”27 We should therefore be especially disquieted by efforts to introduce interactive technologies to the young; the devices’ very “interactivity” may interfere with the human connections young kids must have for optimal brain and emotional development.

  Should We Really Be Surprised? More Screens Means More Screen Time

  Digital advocates, like those at NAEYC, suggest that the use of newer technologies in children’s lives should be expanded, while TV exposure should be minimized.28 Nonetheless, the sad reality is that our children now use digital phones and other portable devices to increase their already incredible overuse of television. The Kaiser Family Foundation notes, “It seems clear that one of the main roles ‘new’ communication technologies play is to bring more ‘old’ media content into young people’s lives. Being able to access TV online and on mobile platforms [including iPods and smartphones] has led to a substantial increase in the amount of time young people spend watching, to a total of just about 4½ hours a day [4 hours, 29 minutes], nearly 40 minutes more than 5 years ago [3 hours, 51 minutes].”29 Meet the new screens, same as the old screens.

  In addition to watching a lot of TV on new devices, what are kids doing? In spite of lofty promises, we need to be honest with ourselves about what the popular new technologies are designed for and how they are typically used. Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said his company’s iPod touch was “the number one portable game player in the world” and boasted that it outsold Nintendo’s and Sony’s portable game players combined.30

  Likewise, how are iPads and iPhones typically used? As USA Today noted in its article “Games dominate Apple’s all-time apps list,” 15 of the 25 most-ever-downloaded paid apps for Apple’s iPad are games, including 5 of the top 6: Angry Birds HD, Angry Birds Seasons HD, Fruit Ninja HD, etc. Similarly, 21 of the top 25 most-ever-downloaded paid apps for Apple’s iPhone are games, including the top 3: Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Doodle Jump.31

  Communication theorist Marshall McLuhan said years ago, “The medium is the message.”32 How messages are conveyed (e.g., via tablet computer or book) may be as important as the content. Tablets, smartphones, and iPods are synonymous with gaming and entertainment—especially for kids. When we provide kids one of these devices, it sends a powerful message about how they should spend their time. In contrast, when we provide children a book, we send the message that reading is important.

  Gateway Games

  The early learning benefits marketers and pundits promise from digital technologies convince many parents to buy their young children “educational” video games. Unfortunately, I believe this helps prime generations of children to spend long hours with entertainment-based video games. A Pew Research Center report confirms my concern, showing that by the time kids reach the ages of 12 to 17, entertainment-based titles dominate their video game time.33

  What shifts children from “educational” to entertainment games? Video game developer Marc Prensky says that while preschoolers may tolerate “educational” games, these games “aren’t fun” as kids get older and aren’t something they will “do on their own.”34 In all likelihood, learning-based games don’t provide the addictive-level stimulation of entertainment-based games. The result is that “educational” games played by young children appear to act as gateway games, conditioning their users to later indulge in entertainment games that displace reading and homework.

  PARENTS NEED GOOD, HONEST INFORMATION

  It’s abundantly clear that parents making choices about how their children and teens use technology should have unbiased, science-based guidance. But that can be difficult to find because tech companies know parents are looking for direction and make efforts to provide their own profit-driven guidance (much as the tobacco industry once did), often disguised as objective information. It is this industry manipulation of information that helps construct and promote technology myths that hurt children.

  Constructing a Technology Myth

  Some years ago, when social networks were just coming on the scene, questions surfaced about how this technology would affect children. Social networks were becoming popular with kids of all ages, from preschoolers who used “kiddie” social networks to middle-and high-school-age kids who used the same social networks as adults. Parents, understandably, were curious about the effects of this new technology, including how it would affect kids’ ability to learn. On the other hand, tech corporations—knowing that parents had questions about social networking—had a financial incentive to convince moms and dads that this technology was the next great thing.

  One seemingly good resource for parents and teachers was Creating & Connecting, a report released in 2007, which studied kids’ (ages 9–17) use of this technology. It was a pivotal moment for the emerging phenomenon of social networking, because parents, schools, and even the popular media needed leadership on the issue. The report claimed to offer “research and guidelines”35 on social networks, and was released by the seemingly objective National School Boards Association (NSBA) whose stated goal is improving student achievement.36

  Less publicized was that the funders of Creating & Connecting included powerful corporations with a financial incentive to get kids to use social networks: News Corporation (which purchased the social network Myspace in 200537), Microsoft (which became part owner of Facebook in 200738), and Verizon (a cell phone company that kids commonly use to access social networks).39 It’s not surprising that the report’s guidelines put a positive spin on kids’ use of social networks.

  The Creating & Connecting report lavishes praise on heavy child users of social networks, suggesting that they exemplify “leadership among their peers” and “seem to have an extraordinary set of traditional and 21st century skills.”40 Buried in the flowery language is the acknowledgement that heavy users of social networks “are significantly more likely than other students to have lower grades.”41 That finding is consistent with research in Chapter 3 linking heavier use of social networks with lower academic performance. Nevertheless, Creating & Connecting ended up strongly advocating for increasing children’s and teens’ access to and use of social networks.

  The Creating & Connecting report’s flawed advice—which carries weight because of the NSBA’s name—is an example of how tech corporations create digital-age technology myths. These myths in turn deceive parents, in this case about the relative importance of social networks vs. schooling in children’s life success. Such misleading advice undermines parents’ ability to raise healthy, successful kids. I have worked with countless families in which parents have been blindsided when they find that their children’s overuse of social networks (or other entertainment technologies) have led to poor grades that reduce their kids’ college admission prospects.

  Moving forward, child-serving organizations should recognize the potential harm that can be done by partnering with consumer tech companies to create technology guidelines. It’s no different than joining with the fast food industry to create nutritional advice. If you’re a parent or teacher searching for objective information, I suggest you look carefully at who is providing the counsel.

  Health-based Organizations

  I’m most familiar with the following organizations committed to providing fact-based, impartial advice on media and technology matters:

  •American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org): provides research-based information for pediatricians and parents on technology i
ssues, including the use of screens in childcare settings

  •Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (www.commercialfreechildhood.org): advocates for restricting corporate marketers’ access to children, and develops research-driven recommendations on children’s use of media and technology

  •Center on Media and Child Health (www.cmch.tv): offers research-based resources for parents and teachers on issues of technology, including recommendations on the appropriate use of technology for kids of different ages

  TECH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

  The reality is that many heavily touted benefits of young kids’ tech use—when studied more closely using objective research—appear to be based on wishful thinking. I therefore suggest following the 2013 American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that children from birth to two years not be exposed to any screen media, including TV, tablets, smartphone apps, and the new formats being developed continuously.42 As children reach 2½ years or older, evidence suggests that some educational television programming can benefit them. I suggest limiting this to one hour or less a day for toddlers and preschoolers. I also believe parents best serve their children by not exposing them to interactive technologies long past the age of two, difficult as that may be. Chapter 10 will look at more factors to help you guide children’s introduction to technology.

  LIMITING YOUNG CHILDREN’S SCREEN EXPOSURE

  Raising young children with limited screen access provides longterm benefits but short-term challenges. In this section, we look at action steps that will help you achieve this goal and surmount these challenges.

  Encourage Time in Nature and Outdoor Play

  In his book Last Child in the Woods, renowned author Richard Louv notes that our children are experiencing “Nature-Deficit Disorder,” as they rarely get out to play. Instead, they stay inside staring at screens.43 Hopefully, your neighborhood is safe and your older kids can play outside safely. Since younger kids often need supervision outdoors, getting them out of the house may demand that we take part.

  Families I work with tell me that taking walks with their children in nature—seeing a deer run, or a swooping owl at dusk, or even watching birds in the park or at backyard feeders—have helped their kids develop interest in a life away from screens. If natural environments aren’t readily available, a family walk through the city to take in the sights or a subway ride to the museum or zoo can provide a welcome departure from screen time.

  Read to Young Kids

  In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced a new policy that during routine visits children’s doctors should recommend that parents read to their children daily, beginning in infancy and lasting at least through the age of entering kindergarten.44 This is because emerging research indicates that much of the most important brain development occurs in children’s first years of life and that reading to young kids greatly enhances language development important for later school and life success. The AAP observes, “In contrast to often either passive or solitary electronic media exposure, parents reading with young children is a very personal and nurturing experience that promotes parent-child interaction, social-emotional development, and language and literacy skills during this critical period of early brain and child development.”45

  This recommendation is critical now because in a world caught up with all things technology, parents can perceive reading to kids as less important. “The reality of today’s world is that we’re competing with portable digital media,” Alanna Levine, a pediatrician from Orangeburg, New York, said in a recent New York Times’ article, “So you really want to arm parents with tools and rationale behind it about why it’s important to stick to the basics of things like books.”46

  Research shows that while higher-and lower-income parents struggle to read to their young children daily, this is much more pronounced in disadvantaged families.47 Because one of the barriers to reading to kids is investing in books, the AAP says that as part of its new policy it will provide books to disadvantaged children at health visits. It’s vital that we provide all children a home environment supportive of their literacy skills, including limiting TV and video games known to decrease the time kids’ spend reading (see Chapter 3 for supporting research).

  Reading to my daughters, now ages 7 and 11, has been—and continues to be—one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of my life. My wife and I continue to read to our kids—picking out “family books” such as the Harry Potter series or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Read-Aloud Handbook, by educational consultant Jim Trelease, is a great guide to choosing engaging books to read to kids of various ages,48 and so are librarians and bookstore staff. Most public libraries have free activities that support literacy development and/or parent-child reading experiences, from interesting guest readers to entertaining events that offer young kids and their parents a fun moment in the company of books.

  Granted, I know it’s challenging to find the time and energy to read to our kids. When my girls were infants and toddlers, I sometimes found myself chugging tea or coffee at 9 or 10 o’clock at night so I could read to them after a long day of work and child care. Still, I remember sometimes waking up in the comfy chair where I read to them with one of my girls staring up at me, because I’d fallen asleep before she did. I also remember family vacations in which one large suitcase was chiefly devoted to children’s books (luckily, the books they read now take up less space). These experiences are much more taxing strategies than handing over a device. However, make no mistake, the research is showing more than ever that efforts to build our children’s early literacy are worth it.

  What To Do About “Mom (Dad), I’m bored!”

  When our children come to us and say they “need” something to do, our first impulse may be to find something to occupy them, which all too often ends up being a screen. Be secure in the knowledge that a little boredom is good for kids. Downtime has a bad label in our current zeitgeist. It has us believing that kids must constantly be engaged, often with a device. But boredom is often the precursor to imagination, learning, and creative thought.

  What should we do when our kids complain of boredom? First, we need to judge if our children really could find something to do, or if they’re truly challenged, perhaps because they’re so dependent on screens. For kids who could find something to do themselves, gentle encouragement and our ability to tolerate a few grumbles is often enough to foster their inner resourcefulness. If your kids really press you, consider the method used by my wife (who learned it from her mother): Explain to your kids that if they’re really bored, you’d be happy to assign them a chore. This often leads kids to become surprisingly resourceful.

  Due to their young age or because they’ve grown used to screen entertainment, some children truly struggle to occupy themselves. In such cases, we may need to foster this ability in our kids. To begin with, make sure your kids have access to alternatives to screens. Creativity-promoting props (see Chapter 2) help provide your child with raw materials that can turn boredom into something interesting or even magical. You also can sit down with your kids for a few minutes to brainstorm alternative activities.

  Non-Screen Activities for Young Kids

  I find that what parents do to raise young children with limited screen time is unique to each family and often reflects the special interests of parents. When our kids were young, my wife would engage them in make-believe or floor play. While I did this as well, I especially liked wandering out into the world, so I would bundle up our girls and hit the road in a jogging stroller, stopping to talk with neighbors or dogs, or to explore a fish pond. Our kids also listened to books and sing-alongs on tape. Arranging play dates or enrolling kids in community programs are also good ways to keep young kids engaged.

  I’m not pretending that raising young kids with limited screen use is easy. Even with the help of extended family and childcare, caring for my kids during their earliest years was exhausting—far more challenging than
I was prepared for. Yet it’s worth remembering that since young brains are so malleable, these early experiences have a tremendous impact on developing the skills that will serve them a lifetime.

  Going Screenless in Restaurants and Other Out-of-Home Settings

  Caring for young kids in places like restaurants poses its own difficulties. A common modern solution is to offer children a smartphone or tablet computer whose magnetic appeal allows parents to enjoy a dinner or time to themselves. While this may seem like a good solution at the time, later you may find yourself looking at your screen-fixated preteens and teens and wondering where things went wrong.

  What’s an alternative? Bring along books, crayons, and paper. Engage with kids during dinner. Draw a picture together or take your kids for a walk around the restaurant to talk about things that you see. This is much more demanding, but it’s actually an enjoyable and rewarding way to connect with kids. Moreover, such experiences are an essential part of helping children realize the joy of engaging with real people and the real world. In any restaurant or other setting there will be someone who likes kids, and who’s willing to chat for a little while. If one person isn’t, the next may be.

  Understandably, parents need alone time and time together as a couple if there are two parents at home. If at all possible, invest in a regular babysitter or obtain childcare so you can get out of the house, enjoy a dinner, go to a movie, etc. Find a trusted neighbor or family member with whom to trade child-care. Recharging our batteries allows us to be more present when we’re with our kids.

  It Takes a Village

  One of the saddest consequences of digital myths is the diminished appreciation for the importance of extended families in raising children. Parents can question the need to see grandma because they believe time with an iPad is just as good. Decisions to move far away from extended family are made with too little consideration of the consequences, as technology is believed to be a good childcare option.