Giving young children screens all the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a family whose child is constantly wanting an iPad, tv, video game, iPhone. The kid can’t eat without watching a video. As soon as we sit down, the kid says he is bored and is asking for a screen. When they have play dates, kids all play on their iPads. When we go to their home, my child is the only one not on a screen. Kids are age 8. My kid is age 9.

Is this just lazy parenting to just allow kids to be on screens all the time???

OP, are you self-aware enough to recognize that you are getting your entertainment by posting online (screen use) about how other people are raising their kids (judgment and drama)?

You’d be better off (and definitely a better person) if you just watched a show or a movie instead.

NP. It's good to judge bad parenting.

Why? How?

I’m genuinely curious what you think you’re accomplishing by anonymously judging “bad” parenting.

Do you think you’re helping the bad parents or their children?

Do you think you’re helping your own children? Do you think they’ll develop any hangups about someday being on the receiving end of your righteous judgement?

Or, as I suspect, does judging “bad” parenting (temporarily) relieve your own insecurities, anxieties, and/or fears?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who is moderate to liberal politically, I'm concerned that this edtech / kids on tech explosion will actually lead to more right wing nonsense. They have already got the tech billionaires, now you have parents like me who feel we have to send our kids to religious schools because we are seeking lower tech schools, and it's the conservative schools that are offering this environment.

Interesting that Jonathan Haidt, who is not conservative, has such a following among conservatives and recently gave a talk at Heritage… I don’t think EdTech and excessive phone use will cause tech skeptics to become conservatives, but I could definitely see a left-right coalition forming on this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

I bet the kids in your neighborhood bike between houses and knock on doors, asking neighbor kids to play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

I bet the kids in your neighborhood bike between houses and knock on doors, asking neighbor kids to play.

Yes, sometimes they do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who is moderate to liberal politically, I'm concerned that this edtech / kids on tech explosion will actually lead to more right wing nonsense. They have already got the tech billionaires, now you have parents like me who feel we have to send our kids to religious schools because we are seeking lower tech schools, and it's the conservative schools that are offering this environment.

Interesting that Jonathan Haidt, who is not conservative, has such a following among conservatives and recently gave a talk at Heritage… I don’t think EdTech and excessive phone use will cause tech skeptics to become conservatives, but I could definitely see a left-right coalition forming on this issue.

I can see children of liberal moderates becoming conservative through schooling. Particularly if they are going to right wing funded elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who is moderate to liberal politically, I'm concerned that this edtech / kids on tech explosion will actually lead to more right wing nonsense. They have already got the tech billionaires, now you have parents like me who feel we have to send our kids to religious schools because we are seeking lower tech schools, and it's the conservative schools that are offering this environment.

Interesting that Jonathan Haidt, who is not conservative, has such a following among conservatives and recently gave a talk at Heritage… I don’t think EdTech and excessive phone use will cause tech skeptics to become conservatives, but I could definitely see a left-right coalition forming on this issue.

I can see children of liberal moderates becoming conservative through schooling. Particularly if they are going to right wing funded elementary schools.

+1

People these days often are more against the other side than they are for their side. The GOP is, I'm just going to say it, evil, psychopathic death cult. But as long as Democrats prioritize profits over people in education, healthcare and so many other sectors, the death cult will always attract people that just got too frustrated with the left's hypocrisy to see straight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a family whose child is constantly wanting an iPad, tv, video game, iPhone. The kid can’t eat without watching a video. As soon as we sit down, the kid says he is bored and is asking for a screen. When they have play dates, kids all play on their iPads. When we go to their home, my child is the only one not on a screen. Kids are age 8. My kid is age 9.

Is this just lazy parenting to just allow kids to be on screens all the time???

OP, are you self-aware enough to recognize that you are getting your entertainment by posting online (screen use) about how other people are raising their kids (judgment and drama)?

You’d be better off (and definitely a better person) if you just watched a show or a movie instead.

NP. It's good to judge bad parenting.

You don’t have a full picture. You are actually judging your assumptions and not always bad parenting. All you see is a snapshot and just because you see a child with a screen doesn’t mean they always have it. It could be an outlier moment. You never know and it adds no value. Every time you point a finger, there are fingers pointing back. MYOB!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the worst generation of parents. I cannot believe the number of young children I see staring at a screen in grocery stores, parks, restaurants and more. They are literally damaging their kids’ brains but they’re too lazy to do the job.

My kid was reading at and doing multiplication at 3. You might have seen him on a screen at a store but you have no idea why or how long. He is currently 6, above grade level, receives frequent outdoor time, participates in activities in the community, is well adjusted, and those who interact with him regularly mention that he’s a great kid. His brain is fine and we are far from lazy. We model appropriate behavior and discipline when needed. Thanks for your concern!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

DP. I wouldn’t say most kids, but I see it frequently, too… in the grocery store cart, waiting at a restaurant, at a sibling’s sports event… small kids are handed screens rather than having a parent talk with them, give them a coloring book, read to them, or give them a non-digital toy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

DP. I wouldn’t say most kids, but I see it frequently, too… in the grocery store cart, waiting at a restaurant, at a sibling’s sports event… small kids are handed screens rather than having a parent talk with them, give them a coloring book, read to them, or give them a non-digital toy.

That's not constant. You may disagree with the choice to give kids screens in those situations, I certainly try to avoid it, but to jump to the notion that kids are constantly on screens based on this is preposterous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

DP. I wouldn’t say most kids, but I see it frequently, too… in the grocery store cart, waiting at a restaurant, at a sibling’s sports event… small kids are handed screens rather than having a parent talk with them, give them a coloring book, read to them, or give them a non-digital toy.

That's not constant. You may disagree with the choice to give kids screens in those situations, I certainly try to avoid it, but to jump to the notion that kids are constantly on screens based on this is preposterous

Dp. A lot of these kids are on screens constantly. Ask your kid's teacher. They'll tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

DP. I wouldn’t say most kids, but I see it frequently, too… in the grocery store cart, waiting at a restaurant, at a sibling’s sports event… small kids are handed screens rather than having a parent talk with them, give them a coloring book, read to them, or give them a non-digital toy.

That's not constant. You may disagree with the choice to give kids screens in those situations, I certainly try to avoid it, but to jump to the notion that kids are constantly on screens based on this is preposterous

Dp. A lot of these kids are on screens constantly. Ask your kid's teacher. They'll tell you.

I literally see these kids in our neighborhood not constantly on screens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

Do you ever leave your house? All around you are young kids on screens in places where they should be interacting with others or observing the world. I saw a four year old holding the phone in both hands and watching something while walking on a sidewalk yesterday. Kids on phones at restaurants. In grocery stores. At parks. Most parents are not judiciously using screens.

Why don’t you interact with your own kids instead of scrutinizing strangers? You’re not making a good case, you know.

You don't need to scrutinize anything to see that a kid at a park is looking at a phone.

The fact that people like you are so desperate to attack people for noticing what's happening in the world is suspicious.

Yes we all know screens exist

But I don't know where you are where most kids you see are on screens. When I walk to school with my kid, go to the playground, go to the pool, I see zero kids on screens

DP. I wouldn’t say most kids, but I see it frequently, too… in the grocery store cart, waiting at a restaurant, at a sibling’s sports event… small kids are handed screens rather than having a parent talk with them, give them a coloring book, read to them, or give them a non-digital toy.

That's not constant. You may disagree with the choice to give kids screens in those situations, I certainly try to avoid it, but to jump to the notion that kids are constantly on screens based on this is preposterous

Dp. A lot of these kids are on screens constantly. Ask your kid's teacher. They'll tell you.

I literally see these kids in our neighborhood not constantly on screens

Right. We're talking in general, not your Mayberry experience. We know there are neighborhoods like yours out there, and that's truly wonderful for you and society, but that's a limited perspective.

My nieces and nephews are on screen a lot. I see them constantly on screens. Teachers are saying kids are getting too much screen time. Multiple posters on here are telling you there are kids are on screens all the time. It's happening, whether you specifically see it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a family whose child is constantly wanting an iPad, tv, video game, iPhone. The kid can’t eat without watching a video. As soon as we sit down, the kid says he is bored and is asking for a screen. When they have play dates, kids all play on their iPads. When we go to their home, my child is the only one not on a screen. Kids are age 8. My kid is age 9.

Is this just lazy parenting to just allow kids to be on screens all the time???

The vast majority of Silicon Valley executives - the people producing all this garbage - do not let their own children touch a screen in the formative years. They, more than anyone, know how damaging screens are for neurological development in young children.

That is a derelict parent's problem, not theirs. Like feeding a small kid McDonalds every day. McDonalds executives aren't feeding their kids Big Macs and McNuggets every day either.

But all these executives love it when shitty parents give their kids screens and junk food. Bigger bonus for them.