Ipads are bad for children?

I came across an article in the Daily Mail which goes against the use of Ipads to teach children at young ages. This article has a bold claim that the next generation is the generation of the Ipad. Some of these children cannot hold a pencil due to these touch-screen devices.



(Some of the bullet points from the article)

• More children are struggling to use pencils, pens and crayons

• Government guide encourages young children to recognise technology

• Some nurseries have spent millions on Ipads, smartboards and cameras

• Experts claim overexposure to gadgets at a young age is dangerous

(The article goes on to discuss toddlers and nurseries: Straight from the article)

Toddlers these day are barely out of nappies before they are playing with touch-screen toys and fiddling with Ipads. And now, it seems, they are paying the price-because when they arrive at nursery they are apparently struggling to pick up basic fine-motor skills such as holding a pencils, pens and crayons. Some nurseries have installed interactive smartboards, digital cameras and tough-screen computers to try to expose children to gadgets at an early age.

‘It makes children comfortable and familiar with the technology and that is extremely useful when they start school’.

 ‘I think what children really need up to the age of seven is real life in real space and real time, which means three-dimensional experiences'.

‘We already have problems with children not being able to hold a pen or pencil.

But we are giving our kids instant gratification all the time with ICT and it makes it harder for them to persevere with something that takes a while to learn'.

‘There is a real fear that too much engagement with this quick-fix technology is making it more difficult for some children to learn how to read and write'.



Although this age group is not what I will be going with, this article pushes the idea of making a game that possibly gets kids to interract with outside influence or making them aware of  healthy playing.


 The online article cane be found HERE.