Parenting The iPad Generation
Technology can be a great learning tool for kids, but only if parents use it right.
In a device-driven world, the screen holds
infinite power to confuse and frustrate parents, who are increasingly hearing
mixed messages about its impact. Screen time is evil! But also: Technology is
vital to kids’ future achievement and a necessary part of their education.
What’s a parent to make of this
contradiction?
Unchecked and unfiltered, screen-time can be
dangerous for kids. It has clear health implications, in that it can affect
sleep, or prevent kids from engaging in physical activity, thereby contributing
to India’s rising childhood obesity rates. It can exacerbate mental health
issues, and perpetuate social isolation. And studies have shown that young
children who are screen users exhibit higher rates of aggression. Online apps
and games, which are created with the specific intent to attract and hook their
users, are particularly addictive for kids.
Then there are the more insidious effects of
digital media use: The fact that young children don’t have the ability to spot
the differences between advertisements, or sponsored content, and “real”
content. They lack the cognitive sophistication and experience to think
critically about what they’re seeing and evaluate its veracity. And they are
keenly observing and rapidly absorbing the social and moral messages they are
seeing on those screens, leaving them vulnerable to picking up and perpetuating
stereotypes and biases.
But consider this: There’s nothing inherently
bad about screen-time, especially in moderation.
Increasingly, the global expert consensus is
that screen-time’s impact — and whether it will ultimately harm a child or help
her — is determined by content and context. Content is about what,
specifically, kids are watching. Context is about how they’re engaging with
what they’re watching.
Make no mistake about it, there is a wide
range of content being marketed to kids, and most of it is junk. Don’t be
fooled by the meaningless “educational!” sticker on apps, toys, and shows,
meant to lure well-meaning parents into a purchase. “Edu-tainment” for kids is
a $6 billion industry in India, and sellers of that content are driven by
finding and keeping new viewers. One kids’ content juggernaut openly publishes
its research on what drives its content creation: The colours, characters, and
plots that keep kids most entertained (that is, hooked); not, for example, what
is going to help them learn.
In a nutshell, good content is
age-appropriate, free of stereotypes and violence, created with developmental
goals in mind rather than commercial concerns; it promotes inclusivity, and enhances
problem-solving and empathy in inter-personal relationships. Filtering out the
quality content from the junk takes time and effort (the irony being, of
course, that most parents reach for the iPad specifically when they don’t have
time and can’t put in the effort).
The second component of truly educational
media experiences is context, which is shorthand for “iPads are not
parents”.Kids’ content is most beneficial when it’s accompanied by an active
discussion or when it is supporting an activity offline. In other words, when
there is a level of parental explanation and mentorship around what kids are
seeing and hearing. A zombie-kid staring at a certain porcine family for hours
on end? Not good. A kid who teaches herself to play guitar by watching YouTube
videos? Awesome.
Devices and digital media are a godsend for
busy parents who need a bit of a break from parenting. That’s reasonable, and
fair. We’ve all been there. But let’s not call it educational. Devices, alone,
are not going to teach our children empathy, compassion, morals, values,
manners, or even math.
But on those days when parents have the
energy to discuss the migration of the monarch butterfly, and then look up a
video of it online, or when an episode of Galli Galli Sim Sim can spark a conversation
about consent — those are the moments when technology and kids’ media support
and enable learning. We are lucky to live in a time when we have these tools,
now we just have to learn how to use them.
Source
| http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/parenting-the-ipad-generation-technology-education-children-digital-era-4939201/
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan &
Co
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