To children, are smart devices new means of education or just ‘digital sugar sweet’?

I remember growing up with The Green Fairy (a popular local story series) and Doraemon when I was a little girl. TV and radio were the only kinds of technology-based means of entertainment we had at that time and I was totally comfortable with that. However, in recent years, the massive growth of handheld devices like smart phones and tablets really alter our lives, exerting a trickle-down effect on even children.

When my cousin – a toddler – was allowed to use tablet, many elder relatives disapproved of my aunt: ‘You shouldn’t do that! Don’t spoil your kid!’ as they thought it wasn’t good for a child. I ‘googled’ this issue and realized people mostly talk about two aspects when it comes to pros and cons of using smart screens at early ages: education and social connection.

Smart devices – a novel means of education?

According to a research led my Dr. Michael Levine, executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, after using Martha Speaks, which is an educational app on iPod Touch, the vocabulary of 13 five-year-olds upgraded by an average of 27%. Another study with a different learning app acquired a similar result, with many three-year-olds saw 17% improvement in their vocabulary. They concluded that e-readers help to maintain children’s attention and excitement in learning.

Despite these optimistic outcomes, Dr. Levine also adds ‘Children may be distracted by the bells and whistles of enhanced e-books. They may be engaged but many are not comprehending as much”. These sounds might be fun and directed to attract kid’s attention to the app, but they actually take them away from focusing on learning. Have yet to mention side games and advertisements.

Interactive media such as e-book or learn-to-read apps can be helpful in teaching literacy skills like spelling, learning vocabulary and reading comprehension. But we have to question its benefits to under-two-year-olds as research on this age group is scant and it is well advised that infants and toddlers should be exposed to hands-on and face-to-face experience in order to learn best.

Ipad apps on literacy skills

There is one fact need to take into account: learning- or education-based may be the most attractive label if app developers aim at children and their parents. With 72% of the top apps in Apple’s App Store fall to Toddler/ Preschool category, this section really makes a big business. The point is that there is no science-based standard or regulation for an app to be marketed as ‘education’. So, we really need to be smart parents in choosing an educational app in the morass of stuff in the app store.

Smart device – an isolated islet?

Children (as well as adults) will now and then look away from a TV screen as they’re watching a cartoon or drama, etc. at an estimating rate of 150 times/hour. A beautifully designed iPad app, meanwhile, is more engaging since children use it almost intuitively and they’re required to touch the screen to generate action, if not repeatedly tapping and swiping. These make touch-screen devices are yet more addictive than TV. Will we have a new generation of ‘squared eyes’?

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a clinical instructor in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and a former fellow in pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, said that increased mobile media use would decrease the amount of time spent engaging in direct human-human interaction, which is well-known as essential for a child’s development of language and social skills.

Researchers also remark if using mobile device to distract children from mundane task becomes paramount to calm them, will they be capable of developing their own mechanisms of self-regulation? Will they acquire the empathy and problem solving skills which are often obtained by exploring, unstructured play and real-life interaction with peers? Will they well study and apply math and science when hands-on experience (which is important for sensorimotor and visual-motor skills) is replaced with digital experience?