Pediatricians Don't Want Your Kids Getting Digital at Early Ages

This topic runs a severe risk of getting pedantic and preachy since we don't want kids getting digital until much later than is currently in vogue.  Pediatricians give all the more credence to that thinking and unknown if this has been at all formalized previously but they're doing it now.  (Science Daily:  Pediatricians update digital media recommendations for kids)

There is heavy bias on this matter in the Rockhouse since I don't regard socialization via computer as any more than a means for passing time for those who have too much of it on their hands and the more I pull away from that the more fulfilled and focused I feel in the things I do.

(Ed: without some type of socialization, no-one would ever see Ithaka!)

Fair enough since the Zen of Blogness is many people may be reading Ithaka at one time and it's not at all uncommon that they do.  However, I don't believe it's required that we're all buddies except when we fancy that but overall it seems like rock stars having romances with groupies which Gene Simmons seems to like but we find highly creepy.

(Ed:  you think you're a blog rock star?)

Come off it, Maverick, as the last one charged with being deliberately obtuse was the warden for Shawshank Prison and it didn't go so well for him, did it.


The above measure of Silas sophistry goes well beyond the recommendations of the pediatricians who research the matter in terms of developmental health.

"Digital media has become an inevitable part of childhood for many infants, toddlers and preschoolers, but research is limited on how this affects their development," says one of the lead authors of the statement Jenny Radesky, M.D., a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

- Science Daily

I know that matter is directly significant to some number within Die Kaninchen since you want the best possible education for the little whippers.  It's not at all my purpose to challenge that but rather to suggest research develops which seems it's worth considering.

Again, this is not a lecture, it's curiosity.

Here some more from them and here you may feel a bit pressured.

Parents may want to limit their own screen time, too, the authors say.  Heavy parent use of mobile devices is associated with fewer verbal and nonverbal interaction between parents and children and may be associated with more parent-child conflict.

- Science Daily

Since some may be annoyed already, here's one more since it's directly related to the same theme.  There's evidence increased screen time with young people has a direct relationship with whether they complete their homework.  That aspect relates to a later stage of development than the pediatricians consider but it's germane overall.

Screen time and young people doesn't look like it's so good for getting it done with the homework.  (Science Daily:  More time on digital devices means kids less likely to finish homework)

I really don't want to pursue this so much due to the vision of enraged parents with flaming torches and pitchforks, all screaming, "How dare you tell me how to raise my child!  We will burn you!"

In fact, I'm not telling you how to raise your kids but the researchers have some suggestions and the view at the Rockhouse is the informed parent is the hip parent and a hip parent is deemed most likely to make intelligent decisions, notwithstanding the emotional pounding they take from kids when they get cut off from the 'net.

In the first article there are suggestions within on what specifically they recommend doing in terms of healthy development.  Read those for whatever measure of hipness you think is necessary.  The latter article is more toward whether online teaches kids to be lazy and that's inevitably riddled with subjectivity.

They're your kids, make up your own mind but hopefully with all the hipness you can muster.

Note:  that segues back to "Captain Fantastic" who apparently never lets his kids anywhere near a computer but I have not watched it as yet.

One more time, I'm not trying to lecture as I'm only curious.

(Ducks and covers)

Note:  some will know what that means.  Hint:  you have to be old.