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Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

bloomberg.com

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Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#191

Post by rock_hard »

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #171
rock_hard wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that I rather hand my kids a tablet or smartphone then putting them in front of a TV or game console. What I sometimes miss from the conversation is that there is a lot of good things one can do with such device...and yes, also some bad ones...just like with a scissors or a lighter. It’s on parents to teach their kids how the world functions and how to integrate into it...always has, always will! And the late…

>I agree that I rather hand my kids a tablet or smartphone then putting them in front of a TV or game console. Is an actual computer not an option?

That depends on age...handing a 4 year old a laptop is probably not feasible

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#192

Post by shados »

astura wrote: post #116
krisives wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

15 years ago it was called "VCR parenting" now we call it "tablet parenting" - People live hard and complex lives, so I'm not going to make judgment on a single parent trying to provide for their kids being unable to be a full-time entertainer as well. The good news is technology and apps are making it easier for parents to be better with less effort (which may sound harsh but is how life gets better overall)

Big difference. VCRs aren't portable. Tablets allow a kid watching a low quality YouTube video at full volume while eating at a restaurant(!) - I've seen this multiple times. You can't pull a VCR out of your pocket mid conversation.

at a restaurant, in a plane, in the train... it's so freagin annoying. The implied social contract that you use such devices with headphones go out of the way the moment there's "omg a kid so cute" involved.

Kill me.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#193

Post by rock_hard »

Tempest1981 wrote: post #141
rock_hard wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that I rather hand my kids a tablet or smartphone then putting them in front of a TV or game console. What I sometimes miss from the conversation is that there is a lot of good things one can do with such device...and yes, also some bad ones...just like with a scissors or a lighter. It’s on parents to teach their kids how the world functions and how to integrate into it...always has, always will! And the late…

I generally agree about tablets vs. TV -- except it's easy to find some terrible content on YouTube very quickly. Don't underestimate how impressionable kids are--even teens--by some cool YouTube stars who set bad examples.

Yeah...I think the generalization of smart phones being bad is the issue here.

As I pointed out in another comment I think we need to be more nuanced...I agree that YouTube is mostly just like TV with infinite channels...luckily it’s not the only App though...just think of the fun kids can have with google search or Wikipedia.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#194

Post by JustSomeNobody »

watwut wrote: post #125
thomastjeffery wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If my parents had limited my amount of time spent using a computer or paying video games, I would never have gone down the path that led me to here. I have extended family who have done this, and the difference is palpable.

Many kids act very badly when allowed unlimited play. Aggressive, acts very annoying whenever does not have tablet, refuses to put it down even for homework or any kind of familly activity. Putting predictable enforced limits goes long way to stop that. It just works and still allows them game time. People tend to relax those rules as kids grow and problems disappear. I knew multiple people who had trouble later in s…

Structure and control.

My wife and I foster, so we've spent time parenting a number of children and all do so much better when they have structure and control over their lives. Kids act up when they can't figure out what's going to happen next. But, if you're consistent and structured they are able to relax and get comfort out of knowing what their day will be like. Get into daily routines and do the same things (as much as possible depending on schedule) day in and day out (in the same order if you have toddlers).

Children also need control. Let them pick out their clothes. Let them decide on the sheets for their bed. Give them money to buy their school supplies. Things like that. Make sure they know that you're there to answer questions, but let them succeed ... and fail. But be there.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#196

Post by brightball »

jakobegger wrote: post #146
brightball wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO the biggest difference is the style of games. Switch games are much more comprehensive like Zelda. iPad games are geared towards button mashing and showing ads for other games that do the exact same thing. A switch game will be $30-60. An iPad game will be “free”. Subjecting your kids to advertising driven games which aim to have them play much as possible to drive revenues is noticeably different. I’ve taken awa…

Just because free ad-driven games are unsuited for kids, doesn‘t mean the iPad as a whole is unsuitable for kids. Watching my kids (4 & 5) play monument valley is a joy. The game costs 5€ and is absolutely worth it.

The early educational games were great. Now that they've gotten a little bit older (9 and 7) is where I'm seeing the problem.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#197

Post by pmarreck »

le-mark wrote: post #187
pmarreck wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this guy getting downvoted simply for asking for evidence? This is Hacker News. Raise the bar, people. Leave the baseless assertions and hearsay to Reddit. I expect citations in discussions here. In fact I just scrolled through this entire discussion and did not find A SINGLE LINK to outside evidence/data. How do you expect to debate anything with any validity, based on nothing but bullshit?

I didn't down vote, but I took the gp to be an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact, and neck pain from phone use being something I can relate to. Merely asking for sources can be distracting when discussing opinions. I think a more cogent response would be "How is smart phone use different than reading a paper or having ones nose buried in a book?" which of course isn't new, but the same physical mo…

Well at least you're making a rational argument!

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#198

Post by sreyaNotfilc »

dragonsky67 wrote: post #10

1950's Can we have a study of Comic Book addiction in Children. 1960's Can we have a study of Television addiction in Children. 1970's Can we have a study of Dungeons and Dragons addiction in children 1980's Can we have a study of Console game addiction in Children. 1990's Can we have a study of Computer game addiction in Children. 2000's Can we have a study of Internet addiction in Children. 2010's Can we have a stu…

My point exactly.

Kids are going to use whatever their parents put in their hands. All of my nieces and nephews has some type of smart device (tablet, or phone). They are on it all the time. They never paid for it but it was given to them by their parents.

If parents stop giving their kids smart devices, then they will use that spare time doing something else (e.g. video games, homework, hanging out, smoking, idunno). There's no need for a study at all. Kids, in general, don't have money to buy an $800 device.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#199

Post by pythonaut_16 »

brightball wrote: post #196
jakobegger wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because free ad-driven games are unsuited for kids, doesn‘t mean the iPad as a whole is unsuitable for kids. Watching my kids (4 & 5) play monument valley is a joy. The game costs 5€ and is absolutely worth it.

The early educational games were great. Now that they've gotten a little bit older (9 and 7) is where I'm seeing the problem.

What kinds of games or things would you like to see for that age range?

What kind of research have you done on what's available?

I'm genuinely curious as to what's out there and who's working on things like this.

Re: Apple shareholders push for study of phone addiction in children

#200

Post by watwut »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #184
watwut wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes overtime it does. First step is to get used to stop without major temper tamtrum. And clear rules set in advance work much better then seemingly random attempts to remove device when parent feel like it. They get used to stop playing, they are forced not to treat game as number one priority in life and because they find other things to do with time. And maybe also because they cease to feel entitled to tablet all…

> They get used to stop playing, they are forced not to treat game as number one priority in life and because they find other things to do with time. Basically, they're forced to learn to never immerse themselves in any activity. I'm not sure it's a good thing to ask for. At least the clear and predictable rules you describe help some. The kid will know in advance not to immerse themselves, because there isn't enough…

> Basically, they're forced to learn to never immerse themselves in any activity. I'm not sure it's a good thing to ask for.

No, inability to play computer game whole day every day at age of seven will not break your ability to immerse into activity.

Being immersed so much that you don't control yourself and act badly is issue parents need to deal with. If they don't, the older the kid grows the more consequences it has on his or her life. So, yes, it is a good thing.

Even if we are assuming there will be no long term consequences, if the toy causes enough bullshit for the rest familly, parents are entitled to limit it for their own or siblings sake.

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