None at all. And there never has been. From the TV screen to the iscreen there is no evidence of benefit from the idiot device. You know why that is? It’s quite simple- We are not computers. We are not machines. Despite the lies of Richard Dawkins and others of his ilk. We are flesh & blood humans. Our cohorts- Our equals. Our kind are other humans. Not computers. Not digital information on a screen.not an image that makes me happyG & M
"Screen time of any kind is still not recommended for children under the age of two, a reaffirmation of a long standing rule of thumb for babies and toddlers. For children between the ages of two and five, the society recommends routine screen time be limited to less than one hour a day and that parents and caregivers watch TV programs or play online games with their preschoolers and kindergartners, rather than leave them to swipe and zone out on their own. The society also urges parents to power down their devices during family time and turn off the background TV.The pediatricians’ groups on both sides of the border agree: There is no good evidence that infants and toddlers benefit from solo screen time.
The youngest children cannot learn from screens. They’re not developmentally ready to transfer what they see on a screen to real life,” said Michelle Ponti, the London, Ont. pediatrician who chaired the digital health task force that researched and wrote the new Canadian guidelines.“We do know what does benefit early learning and that is face-to-face, live interactions with an engaged parent or other caregiver,” Dr. Ponti said."
And by the way, I’m tired of whiny journalists writing boohoing articles about what are they going to do without the screen mesmerizer for their children.
“Listening back to my interview with Dr. Ponti of the Canadian Pediatric Society, I winced as I heard the self-justification in my voice while I questioned her about the society’s recommendation that parents interact with their children while they use screens.It struck me as ridiculous. When I have one-on-one time with Ethan, I read him a real book. The only reason I bust out the iPad is so I can shower or prepare dinner or prevent Ethan from repeatedly running on to the ball hockey rink while his dad coaches his brothers, I protested.
Why isn't Mom keeping an eye on Ethan and cheering for dad and brothers rather then 'busting out the iPad', she is undoubtedly gazing at? Remember your children are always watching you as an example.
Dr. Ponti shut me down gently but firmly. “What did parents do 10 years ago?” she said. “It’s not that long ago. They would sit their children in a bouncy chair and give them a board book.”
I had a small chair that I'd put my daughter in, brought her in the bathroom, with a board book and kept an eye on her while I showered. Or showered when hubby was home- Sometimes I put her in the crib with toys for the few minutes it took to shower. Yes, that was more then twenty years ago, but, point is, no screen necessary.
"Truth is, I was looking for her to cut me some slack. I find it’s much harder to stick to the no-screens rule for my toddler than it is to adhere to the less than one-hour a day rule for my older boys, William and Campbell, even though they ask to play Mario on the iPad approximately 500 times a day.
They’re old enough to entertain themselves. And they have each other. In Ethan’s case, it’s harder. That Old MacDonald remix allows me to shower without a sobbing toddler trying to yank open the glass door. I don’t want to give that up.”
The journalist has a sobbing child to deal with every single time she showers? Sorry, don’t buy it. She admits she’s making excuses and she wants an ok to employ screen time as she sees fit- to her benefit.I raised my child without the hypnotizing device of an ipad/iphone. TV was limited. Always.I managed to shower without subjecting my daughter to any mesmerizing box.My mother raised 6 children- (she bathed at night) My Grandmother- one had two children and ran a farm- Including an egg operationMy Nonna had 13 children and also ran a farm.Growing all their food, baking all the bread, making cheese, making linen for fabricEverything for their lives was grown and made by Nonna and Nonno- extended families etcHow did they manage? They just did!A digression... I realize now my siblings and all our boomer cohorts were wild compared to children now a days. We had more freedom, thank goodness for that! We were also more imaginative and less zombie like- Oh, harsh? Sorry, not intended to be. I’m old enough to see the huge difference between myself and my cohort (boomer tail ender/early Gen X) as children and the zombie like children I see now-Do your kids a real favour, please.Don’t enthrall them with the unreal - Engage them with the real- (Enthrall means to both captivate and enslave, which is why I chose that specific word) You and the real world. Good for you, them and all of humanity. Seriously.Relinking:
iMinds: Total Technology and Human Evolution- Mari Swingle
Mari mentions that children exposed to iscreens display behaviour similar to autism- withdrawn, non emotive, non communicative. Consider this? From earlier: