Technology and Childhood Development: How do tablets and smart phones impact on kids?

The innovative world of tech is rapidly changing how we interact with each other. We’re lucky enough to have supercomputers in our pockets — at a moment’s notice, we can reach out to people across the world, or learn limitless facts about anything. Recently, the AI movement is leaving people in awe as computers paint beautiful pictures and write comprehensive blog posts. AI is revolutionizing the way people view their health, and mental health is no exception. 

Young people are typically exasperated with the older generations' ignorance of tech, but that doesn't mean that all of us aren't equally enveloped in the digital revolution. It touches our lives in unexpected ways, both good and bad. Now that tech has so thoroughly infiltrated our lives, many people are reflecting on what effect it’s having on our minds at every stage of life. Technology affects us, our children, and even the generation that came before us. This is why our next ongoing series will focus on the impact of technology on our mental health.

One of the most hot-button topics is technology’s effect on childhood development — specifically, screen time. You’ve probably witnessed a baby who can't even speak but can swipe away iPad notifications by instinct. Children are the biggest unknown in the conversation about how technology affects us; many of the side effects won't become apparent until they are much older. This makes it worthwhile to discuss the role children play in shaping discussions of tech, and how children are some of the most valuable (and vulnerable) contributors to our path forward.

Parents today have to navigate a whole new breed of child-rearing challenges that their parents never had to think about. The world is at your child's fingertips — that can feel like a minefield from the perspective of a guardian, especially one who isn't tech-savvy. In addition to widely accepted risks such as inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and personal information leaks, parents now have to consider the addictive quality of using a phone or tablet.

Children's brains are 90% developed by age 5. But here’s another benchmark: around age 8, their minds are most biologically impacted by outside stress and external stimuli. This makes young children particularly susceptible to advertising and ideas from content creators who may not put children’s well-being first. As a parent, it’s important to protect your children from exposure to questionable content.

On the other hand, young children can gain fine motor skills, tech skills, and literacy through the use of tablets or smartphones. In the same way adults use apps like Duolingo to brush up on their Spanish, a baby who watches bilingual content on YouTube may pick up key phrases at a much higher rate than their peers who learn later in life. Tech and media companies have taken to creating more kid-friendly, educational content after noting the rising rate of young children who use apps and online gaming platforms.

With a wide world web of games, information, and entertainment, it's not a surprise that researchers are concerned with the addictive tendencies young people display around their devices. Pediatricians and psychologists have named this cluster of tendencies “Screen Dependency Disorder” (SDD), and it affects roughly 12% of children aged 8 through 12.

SDD leads to dishonest tendencies, abusive behaviors, escapism, loss of interest in other activities, poor emotional regulation, and may even contribute to other mental illnesses. Long term, it’s linked to obesity, poor vision, chronic headaches, developmental delays, and even brain damage. The main cause of this condition is unregulated screen time. It’s more important than ever to help children develop habits of moderation and set healthy boundaries for their time online.  

For those who have children and may not know where to start: the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not allowing any screen time for children younger than 18 months. Secondly, restrict the quality (ie; educational and wholesome content) and quantity of online activity for children from 2 to 5 years old. Try co-viewing with your child to help them understand what they are seeing. Importantly, set firm boundaries around screen time — and actually enforce them (we know… easier said than done).

As a parent, it’s essential you develop internet literacy so you can take a hands-on approach to the content your child has access to online. As busy as life has become, and as tempting as it is to take an hour break to address your many other responsibilities while your kid plays on the iPad in another room, it’s still a parent's job to make important decisions about their child's well-being.

According to the aforementioned study by the American Pediatrics Association, the most important step a parent can take is maintaining an open dialogue about the child’s mental state, emotions, and online activity. By continuing to learn which parts of digital life aren’t serving us, we cultivate closeness and help our families reach their fullest potential.

Technology continues to astound us and change the way we approach daily life. Finding opportunities to lean into this change is the best way to ensure we make the most of the advancements available to us.