They aren't good and they aren't bad. A growing brain is not going to become warped by using an iPad unless that's all they ever do. Kids learn at an alarming rate. A child who has never encountered a physical photograph - more and more common these days as well as not at all dangerous - will certainly assume the physical photo works like a touchscreen. Once they realize otherwise, they STOP PINCHING. How is a physical photograph more "real" than a digital one? Don't you have to learn how to interact with everything? Kids will adapt. As long as they are getting experience climbing trees and eating dirt as well as playing interactive storybooks on a futuristic device most of us couldn't even dream of as children, they'll be perfectly well rounded.

ARCHA1C wrote:Overreaction.

This is no different than "back in the day" when people would see a Television for the first time, and walk around the back to see if the people were behind it.

It's all about perception, and as humans, those children in the anecdotes will certainly grow to be able to distinguish between reality, and the content on their iPads.

To be "worried" or "concerned" about what's happening to "kids these days" should only serve as an indicator that you are, indeed, getting old.

c911darkwolf wrote:SO my son is 19 months old. I am a Computer Tech with 2 degrees and 4 certifications. My 19 month old son has his own computer. It's a old Pent 4 with a Childs version of Linux installed.

He can navigate and play videos on his own at 19 months.

He is smart enough that he will pick up one of my screw drivers and try to unscrew the back of the computer i'm working on.

Since computers/ipads/technology is only getting greater and more complex it's great he is learning theses skills.

At age 16 while other kids are working fast food, My son will have the skills to setup small business networks making 4x the salary. (yes not hourly wage, i said salary). If he choose not to work in a computer field like his old man. Then NO matter what his career is he will USE COMPUTERS. Blind old foggeys, who can't understand technology will simply be run over by it. My Eletrical system (ac/stove/refrigerator) is monitored by a PC at my house. Its wired right into our Fusebox. Computers will control more and more, and you should give your child a chance to master them early.

As far as technology 1 blinking light is not different then another. Your picking on computers instead of the other 2 dozen eletronics your child prob owns.

All and all.. my 19 month old son loves more then anything else? Push a plastic grocery cart around the living room picking up his toys and putting it in it..

Children will be amazed by technology, but deep down they will act just like our parents when they were children.. Running, playing, discovering!

I concur. when my boy was age 2, I took an Asus eee 7" 900hmz and put a chopped-down linux OS on it, then I loaded it with simple learning games. He loves it. On a road trip just before his 3rd birthday he asked if he could play on my NintendoDSi. I cringed because his sister played with my PALM 10 years ago and stabbed at the screen like Jack-the-Ripper with a prostitute. But I let him try it and he was as gentle with the stylus as a maestro conducting a lullaby. I could tell that it was because he'd been conditioned with the touchpad on the eee. Then when he tried my Android phone the first time, he took to it faster than anything. I think using the finger directly rather than using a stylus or mouse increased the intimacy with the device's actions, same as OP's iPad. It's like the difference between reading a friend's telegram or talking to her on the phone. And you see where the telegram is today, in the obsolete past. The phone won that battle. I understand why kids take to the touch/visual interface so easily. So as insane as it may seem, I bought my 3y.o. an Archos 32 to learn with. And I'm not worried about repercussions. Because 90% of the time, my kid plays the same as kids always have. And because my 12y.o. daughter grew up the same way, but with older technology. And last year she built our HTPC with components from newegg. She did this as a gift to the family. I literally never touched it until it was complete. Feels good.

●Learning to use technology is good
●developing cognitive skills is good
●developing fine motor skills is good
●a toddler trying to pinch-to-zoom a magazine is the cutest thing I've ever read on woot

This dude claims iPad's are better than TVs and our kids will only be average if we don't buy them each an iPad today. http://www.cultofmac.com/why-every-child-in-america-needs-an-ipad/93887

"You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMy1zO8m8sM

These are just kids taking advantage of something that has always been there for them. Kinda like electric and cars to us. If left to a power outage I would think most of us could still light a candle or turn on a flash light. It also works to your advantage as my kids have not figured out how to turn the TV on with out the remote.

BALENCE should your kid do nothing but be on technology no, does interacting with it a bit ruin them no paper books alot, e-books every once in a while, The most important part is Talking to your kids and interaction. No matter what your kids are looking at they need time with you!!

I think that concern is a natural part of parenting. I worry not so much about pictures and websites as I do the fact that, unlike tv, radio, books, etc. 'new' technology can be used to replace face to face human interaction. DOn't get me wrong - I love the fact that my 3 yr. old wants to Skype with her aunt that lives 3 hrs away, but it is easy to fall into the habit of 'checking in' with friends/family on fb, skype whatever, and not actually physically spending time with them. I know there's been research done, that echoes that, but I'm certainly not a phD - I just want to make sure my kiddos are computer capable, but not dependant on technology for every aspect of life. You got us all takin! Good post!

I bought my son a 22" Touchsmart PC for this second birthday.

Me doing nothing other than that, and and putting links to www.starfall.com on the desktop, he is now the best five year old reader in all six kindergarten classes.

He also knows all the planets. In order. How to spell them. Their astrological symbols. How many moons they each have. The names of the moons. And the names of about twenty stars in order of the their size.

Oh yeah, he's also autistic.

He learns at such an advanced rate he would require an extremely intelligent adult by his side every waking second of his day to keep up.

Since this is not possible, he looks for other ways to learn.

When I showed him the iPad, he was in love. He can type phrases on the keyboard, play educational (and fun) videos and music, play with "Solar Walk", an app which models the solar system, which is exactly what his young brain wants.

Since I am a good parent, I also use the iPad to teach him about manners, sharing with others, how to deal with disapointment, taking turns, and so on.

Do we use the iPad sometimes as the easy way out?

Sure we do. For instance, we actually just went out, as a family, to a restaurant, and ate an entire dinner without having to leave early apologizing to the manager, for the first time in five years.

You have no idea whatsoever what you give up when you become a parent, and by god, if you can find something which is both educational and entertaining for your kids, you're going to use it.

You can save all the "well MY kids will be different" BS, because that goes right out the window about the time mommy and daddy haven't slept in five weeks.

If you are feeding your child's brain garbage by letting them watch "Cars" on an endless loop, then yes, you will probably end up with a dumb kid with zero attention span.

If you are feeding your child's brain quality information, puzzles, logic, and art, then odds are you will have a smart kid, who in turn won't spoil his own kid's brain with garbage.

This is all a big deal over something most people don't understand or have any experience with.

bsmith1 wrote:Geeze. No pressure, kid. Good luck living up to daddy's expectations! ;)

Touche

griffyndor wrote:I am a teacher and I really worry that all the technology is doing them a disservice. We have students who want everything on the computer but they aren't computer literate. They work on presentations and focus more on the pretty aspects than the information. They are caught in a no man's land. They've no idea how to use plain old books to research because they are used to being able to get the answers quickly from google or wiki. They don't understand how to determine whether a source is valid or even what key words will give them the best results. Of course we do what we can to cover all this information but it is time consuming.

I also worry that the creativity is being usurped by instantly gratifying images that are found everywhere. There is no need or desire to read anymore because it takes too long and they can't imagine the scenes. If the student it given free reign to create, they come to a stand still. Guidelines must be explicit or they get frustrated. They want to know how many paragraphs, pages, and pictures and can't imagine doing something until it's done. The minimum amount of work is all they want to do. If you make the mistake of showing an example. Most work returned reflects or outright copies the example.

When it comes to the children I plan to have, my partner and I have discussed holding back on technology. I don't want them using computers, mp3 players, xboxes or the like until they are 10. Even tv viewing will be greatly limited. We want them to play pretend with imaginary friends rather than rely on computers. Then we will gradually introduce tech. Imagination, creative thinking, and problem solving are all important skills that don't seem to readily manifest in an overly technical environment.

what a weirdo.... my 3 yr old only watches nickelodeon, and he does play with my wifes Ipad. He also has been diagnosed with aspergers.

But i can say this for those of you who want to limit your child on Tv's and Computers. my son could say his A,B,C's when he was two years old. count to 20 by two years old, and also count to 10 in spanish.

he also is fluent in certain spanish words, all by just watching Cartoons on Nick.

He knows how to navigate through the Ipad to get to and back from where he wants to go.

And the person complaining about using a computer to due research instead of using a book? how about you hand wash your clothes instead of using the washing machine. i mean that is the old fashion way right?

Yea, i could teach my son all of this but honestly he knows more spanish than i do...

My challenge to many of the comments is this...

When is the last time, as an adult, you went to the library and researched anything via a printed source? Even in College, 95% of my research papers were electronic search based - and that was 20 years ago. Schools use Lexis-Nexis and similar to find authentic validated sources. Unfortunately the ways of the printed research material is going away.

In my age, TV remote controls didnt exist, we had the atari 2600 and commodore 64 which I played with hours on end - all of which my parents obviously didnt have.

Its just the new age of technology - our kids will have far more technology options than we ever did, and their learning to use and embrace it will ony further along their development.

My daughter uses our iPad for flashcards, counting games, memory games, eBooks and more - she's only 20 months old. She knows how to unlock the ipad, change the screen to "her page" of apps and open and close the apps she wants to play. She knows what a greater Kudu is as well as an Okapi because of a jungle app she loves. How can I possibly be upset at that?

We love the iPad for learning and I think its great for our daughter too... and BTW she's also in swim lessons and has a big wheel (which she also loves) - so shes not just glued inside.

ok, so I'm a grandmother who had her kids at the dawn of the personal computer age. You could easily have made the same comments regarding my bringing home the first apple when they were toddlers.
However, the result is that all my kids became literate at an early age and clearly were at an advantage as technology moved forward. We had to deal with video games and so much new "technology" even more revolutionary then the refinements to the systems with regard to realism and touch screens.
It is a widely held belief that the greatest change with regard to achieving success in this world is the brain that is adaptive to rapid change. That is the world we live in.
Those children who are facile and adaptive will thrive.
Am I sad about that reality, will it prevent another Picasso or Faulkner? Who knows. But here we all are so deal with it.
ps.
I play with granddaughter on the Ipad. and horrors.. we skype!!!!
love,
Bubbie

lynnpreston wrote:I think the more pressing question is - why does the baby/toddler in the picture appear to be wearing a necklace? Given that we are apparently in parenting critique mode, that necklace appears to be more of a potential danger to the child than some iPad time.

BTW, I feel confident in saying that this is fundamentally the same discussion that was had when the printing press, radio and TV each first appeared.

It's an amber necklace... they're used quite widely in Europe and other places as a home remedy for teething pain. As an infant teacher, I've seen them work wonders for some children. They are worn loose enough so they don't pinch, but tight enough so the child can't chew on them and they're unlikely to catch on things. They're typically removed when the child sleeps. At that age, children should generally be supervised, anyway.

It's been a week since the last comment on this, but I have to get a word in.

chemicallion wrote:And the person complaining about using a computer to due research instead of using a book? how about you hand wash your clothes instead of using the washing machine. i mean that is the old fashion way right?

I guess I'm the only one who agrees with the teacher when I say that the internet is NOT always the most reliable source for research. To my dismay in college, one of my professors banned us from using Wikipedia as a source. I didn't see why... until a few months later when someone decided to put "Elton John" under the list in the "Fruit" entries. It was caught, but not quickly enough. (To say I didn't understand "open source" until then was an understatement, of course.)

Failing to acknowledge/use books for broad middle/junior high/high school topics like "My State's Greatest Hero: (historical figure here)", is really a disservice to those who put the time and effort into writing books about them. There are still legitimate circumstances where internet sources can be used. That's fine. But books are still a vast source of knowledge that cannot always be attained on the internet.

Trial and error will student how to research on the internet. But sometimes it will take a teacher, or someone equally savvy to guide them regarding their results.

And before you get into that whole "Books on Kindle for your Kids", I really must point out that I can't afford a Kindle, so it's not really an option or choice for me. I'm definately going to be encouraging my son to read books as he grows.

I hate to frighten you but the virtual world is becoming the real world.

I have not read every message, but I have read a few.

We are a homeschooling family, and have 5 children. One of our children has congenital brain damage and is non-verbal. The iPad has been a savior for him. He can now tell us WHAT he wants to eat, that his head hurts, why he's crying, etc. He doesn't have enough fine motor skills to sign intelligibly (yet), and the iPad has given him a voice.

Our other kids play with it as well, but it isn't theirs.

With the sheer number of cheap netbooks my kids have destroyed, there's no f***ing way they are getting iPads until they can give me some clear warning that they're about to puke.

my brother is autistic and that's a bunch of crap. he has no friends now because he's replaced human interaction with computers.
way to go giving your kid a head start at being alienated from the real world.

bsmith1 wrote:
"If anything, these kids will grow up with a head-start having a mindset of how technology can improve our otherwise boring environment."

Wait, what? What "otherwise boring environment" are you talking about? Life? I don't have a strong stance on this issue overall, but I certainly take issue with calling the world we live in "boring."

My kid can spend 30 minutes building with Legos or climbing a tree or watching ants carrying stuff. Sometimes he chooses to spend that time playing with his DS. The technology option is not better or worse. It's just one option in many.

lynnpreston wrote:I think the more pressing question is - why does the baby/toddler in the picture appear to be wearing a necklace? Given that we are apparently in parenting critique mode, that necklace appears to be more of a potential danger to the child than some iPad time.

I feel confident in saying that the necklace you are referring to is actually made of natural amber stones and helps to diminish pain/symptoms associated with teething. It is a natural way to help with the pain, drooling, fevers rather than pumping kids full of tylenol, motrin, or whatever else. It also has a breakaway clasp so that if there is too much pressure put on it, it will break off. Lastly, each stone is individually knotted so if by some small chance the necklace was to actually break, only one tiny stone would come off. No more of a choking hazard than any kind of food. I know all of this because my son has one and has been an amazing help. Maybe, instead of jumping the gun and thinking that the parent doesn't know what they're doing, assume that the parent has researched what they're doing for their child 100%. It goes along with the iPad discussion as well. You don't know how the activity is being monitored or anything else about the family using it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you apple! The iPad & touch technology are allowing me to engage my kids in ways I never dreamed possible. Not just kids on the autism spectrum but any child with special learning needs. I too understand the concern of overloading a child with technology but that is where we need to remember things like "adult guidance". Sure, my two year old can oprate the iPad on her own, but I don't let her! It's not the device people it's how you use it. So, my students work on traditional lessons, reinforce skills with the iPad and then we go to recess. Balance in all things.

FYI.....the necklace on the baby is not decorative..it's an amber teething necklace.

OtakuCODE wrote:You are, entirely, being too paranoid. Things which actually hurt children: Diseases, dangerous animals, accidents, abusive people (almost always their parents). Things which have never, not once in history, hurt a child: Pictures on a screen, audio at a reasonable volume, fiction of any form, words, and especially - new user interfaces.

That children do not understand that prior technologies like photographs have piss-poor interfaces is natural. Kids don't know what a record is. That isn't a problem, it is an advantage. They have a better way to see the present and, in turn, the future. They are not pulled down and limited by the mistakes of the past. Certainly kids should be taught about the way things used to be done, in the context of explaining why they were improved. The past has no inherent value. Children don't know what it was like to slaughter their own animals to eat, and while they should certainly be taught about it or visit a farm to witness how food is made first-hand to have an accurate idea of the world, it's not something that is ever going to HURT them. Chances are very good that you yourself have no idea what it was like to live in a world without electric lights. Chances are good that you have never seen a night sky where you could see the 'milky' part of the Milky Way. This does not mean you are damaged. Humans are adaptable, and you have adapted. Do not steal this from your children.

I think people have a 'fear constant' built into their intuition. As we remove more and more things that are actually WORTH being afraid of, people will insist on fearing things for which there is no reason. Those fears are pointless and can be dangerous. "Better safe than sorry" is a lie. Safety, in the way it is interpreted today, leads only to ignorance and developmental handicapping. If something is not 100% PHYSICALLY dangerous, then it has inherent value. It can teach, and give a better idea of what reality is, how it works, etc. As a parent, your job is to HELP your children and to turn them into ADULTS, not simply larger children.

I'm tired hearing about people being worried about this crap. Things like the iPad are the future. When these kid grow up they are going to think that a "conventional" photo or magazines are stupid and wasteful. We are all going to be using devices like iPads. I equate peoples ignorance about this to people that said cars were no good when they were riding horses. Or how people should write letters instead of that newfangled "telephone".
Welcome to the future.

Seems to me that this weighs in more on parents than technology. As has been stated several times here already, whether we grew up with or without technology, we were exposed to fairy tales and fantasy, but most of us understand it isn't real. (I say most because I went to college with a guy who was convinced anime was real.) It's important for parents to help kids learn technology but also stay grounded in reality and the physical world. They'll need technology to succeed in life, but they also need to understand that there's more to life than a touchscreen.