Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences • Hacker News Board

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#131

Post by jbaber » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 2:17 AM UTC

novok wrote: post #109

turtlebits wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that parents are using screen time as a nanny, and are training their kids to rely on them as such. IMO, kids need to be taught self-control and have the ability to entertain themselves before screens are introduced. Toddler age is definitely too early, I am in the opinion that as little as necessary until it starts to be required in school. My 2nd grader knows that screens are useful and has seen limi…

The automated nanny of the past was other kids in the neighbourhood, but due to laws and a culture of helicopter parenting that developed during the 80s/90s, kids are basically forbidden from playing by themselves with local kids unless they are literally next door. Parenting is more work today than it used to be. In the past you sent out your kids to the local neighborhood all day, they came back to fix boo-boos and…

This 1000 times. About half the time we consciously choose to let our 8-year-old just open a car door or walk across a parking lot independently, some adult scurries over and "Hey! Your kid just carefully walked behind this parked car! Lucky I found him."

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#132

Post by jdietrich » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 5:02 AM UTC

wizzwizz4 wrote: post #65

jdietrich wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Ouch... that's kind of bleakly sad. Early versions of iOS were rife with skeuomorphism. Is it sad that iBooks displayed your books on a wooden shelf and played page-turn animations that look like paper, or is it just an application of existing skills and knowledge to a different technology? Paper books are obsolete. Some people think that they aren't obsolete because they're using tiny low-res monitors or don't know…

Partial damage to a paper book leaves the rest of it functional. Partial damage to a digital book leaves it unable to boot.

It's quite hard to back up a paper book.

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#133

Post by RYFN » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 9:33 AM UTC

jewelry wrote: post #44

RYFN wrote: post #6

This is a shamefully clickbatey title from the University press office! To quote the article, "...We are currently unable to conclude that the touchscreen use caused the differences in attention".

Well, maybe that's also a relieving result that use of tablet is not causing harm at this area, if not helped. Which I believed strongly as long as the material is carefully curated for education not just youtube Kids. Even science channel video is better than youtube kids.

The "not causing harm" being good is a very fair point!

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#134

Post by arendtio » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 10:57 AM UTC

watwut wrote: post #89

arendtio wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly what I thought. A few years ago, I was in a hotel where one family gave their kids tablets to watch movies during breakfast. I can hardly imagine that this practice is beneficial for the kids development.

I would also be surprised if tablet during breakfast would destroyed the kids in the future in any realistic way. This is really just nitpicking parental decisions that basically don't matter.

I hope you are aware, that this discussion is not about 'destroying children'. It is about the effects of early touch screen usage and if it is beneficial for the development of a child. So the question is if a kid would do better or worse, not if one kid would be destroyed.

That these things have an effect shows the study above. In addition, you have to evaluate the magnitude of an effect. For example, not every high IQ person who wants to have a well-paid job has one even though a high IQ is known to have a positive impact on reaching that goal. Similarly, not every toddler who uses touchscreens regularly will show increased anti-social behavior, even though that might be a related effect.

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#135

Post by watwut » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 11:19 AM UTC

arendtio wrote: post #134

watwut wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would also be surprised if tablet during breakfast would destroyed the kids in the future in any realistic way. This is really just nitpicking parental decisions that basically don't matter.

I hope you are aware, that this discussion is not about 'destroying children'. It is about the effects of early touch screen usage and if it is beneficial for the development of a child. So the question is if a kid would do better or worse, not if one kid would be destroyed. That these things have an effect shows the study above. In addition, you have to evaluate the magnitude of an effect. For example, not every hig…

To elaborate, it completely absurd to fret over hotel breakfast touch screen usage.

First, it is extremely unlikely that sight of touch screen does any harm at all for development of children. The possible small effects are quite unlikely to show up unless the kid is using them a lot, to the exclusion of other activities.

Second, you placed emphasis on during as if hotel meal were the special one place where parent would exclude screen even if the kid is overusing it everywhere else. I hope you are aware, hotel/restaurant is the place where movie is more likely to be used then normal. Restaurant time is not special sacred non-screen time, it is the screen time.

You also wrote:

> I can hardly imagine that this practice is beneficial for the kids development.

I can hardly imagine harm. I can hardly imagine kids to gain on it. In all likelihood, taking in all minuscule effects touch screens have on kids, watching movie during hotel breakfast is completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Re: Toddlers who use touchscreens show attention differences

#136

Post by tmaly » Thu, Aug 20, 2020, 1:06 PM UTC

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #72

tmaly wrote: post #61

There is an upside for kids 5 and older here. My daughter has to take this standardized map test in Connecticut. It is all computer based. If you are not comfortable using the computer, you do not do well on the test. The teacher uses this online problems site IXL to help them get use to answering the questions on the computer. This was also really helpful when everyone had to do school remotely. Th

How does this work for young kids who can barely or can't read? Seems like it's a gateway to systemic bias.

For reading, my wife and I read to our daughter and worked on phonics using regular books.

There is really no shortcut for learning to read. You have to put in the time with your kids.