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 “Mobile devices, because of their portability and interactive
components, are introducing media into all aspects of children’s
experience and deserve serious attention and research,” write Dr.
Jenny Radesky and her colleagues from Boston Medical Center in the
journal Pediatrics.
The new media addressed in the report differs from television,
because mobile and interactive media include games, videos and
educational apps, they write.
“Recommendations for use by infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged
children are especially crucial, because effects of screen time are
potentially more pronounced in this group,” the researchers write.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which publishes the
journal Pediatrics, recommends that television and other
entertainment media should be avoided among children younger than
age two years.
“A child's brain develops rapidly during these first years, and
young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens,”
according to the AAP website.
Some interactive media may be beneficial for young children, the
researchers write, pointing to one study which found apps that
operate like videophones are as effective as real-life interactions
at teaching language to two-year-old children.
Other research suggests some interactive apps may also improve
literacy skills, but the accompanying sounds and visual effects may
hurt their comprehension, they write.
A balance between the two is needed to encourage learning, they add.
The researchers also caution that while interactive and mobile media
may help parents in the short term by distracting children, it may
be detrimental in the long term because children need to learn to
regulate their behavior.
Giving children mobile and interactive media may also lead to fewer
in-person interactions with other kids and displace activities that
help build other needed skills.
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“On the other hand, videophone apps may enhance interpersonal
connections by allowing children to maintain face-to-face
interactions with distant family members or during military
deployment,” they write.
While more research is needed, the review's authors suggest that
doctors talk with parents about interactive media and encourage
parents to use the media with their children.
“Parents should be encouraged to try a game or app first, play it
with the child, and ask the child about it afterward to see what he
or she is learning,” they write. “Clinicians should strongly
emphasize the benefits of parents and children using interactive
media together.”
More research into when and how children learn from interactive
media is needed, the researchers write - along with research into
children’s behaviors tied to the media use.
“Until more is known, pediatric providers can offer guidance on
preserving quality, connected family interactions, whether through
‘unplugged time’ or a designated family hour, and how to establish
healthy childhood media habits from early childhood,” they add.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/13FqE6R
Pediatrics, online December 29, 2014.
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