How the iPad affects young children, and what we can do about it: Lisa Guernsey at TEDxMidAtlantic

Lisa Guernsey is Director of the New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative. Ms. Guernsey focuses on elevating dialogue about early childhood education, in part by editing the Early Ed Watch blog, and spotlighting new approaches for helping disadvantaged children succeed. Ms. Guernsey's most recent book is Screen Time: How Electronic Media -- From Baby Videos to Educational Software -- Affects Your Young Child.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[lesleyvalencia]

I am a therapist for young children who have ASD. It’s incredible the difference in development and treatment success screen time makes in the children I’ve worked with. The kids I’ve worked with whose parent allow free access to the iPad are less interested in learning how to read, they’re less interested in playing games or interacting with their siblings. It’s so sad and frustrating.

[brian]

Please stop giving your children a screen to stare at in restaurants, in the car, etc. Young kids learn by watching and absorbing things around them. How people are interacting with each other, how they talk, what they are doing, why they are doing what they do... with their head down in a screen they are missing out on thousands of little signals and learning experiences every day, and the questions that come with them . If you can't engage or communicate with your child in these situations, or selfishly have them stare at a device to keep them "busy" and not bother you - it's on you. Bad parenting.

[llyg]

Just like food. Balance is everything. My children are not allowed to game or watch tv during the week. However, during the weekend there is a limit on it. Being a parent is hard, especially the first few years but you reap what you sow and children grow a lot quicker and putting in the work is SO WORTH it.

[amiatanamedmichelle]

The iPad is an 11 year old piece of technology. I know people with younger siblings who were raised with an iPad. Technology can be addictive for them. Toddlers sob when their devices die and need to be charged. Those kids are as old as 14 now. They have issues. Parents, please monitor your kids screen time. Apple does it automatically.

I’m only 18 but I try to limit my non college related tech use to 3-4 hours a day. It was rough to not check every notification, but I’ve noticed my sleep and my mental health are much better. My parents gave me a flip phone when I was in middle school, I didn’t have an iPhone until my junior year of high school (I had a galaxy S4 in 2018). I plan to raise my kids low tech as well, I don’t care how integrated technology becomes with our lives it’s not good for them. Yet I see people bringing their kids to a parts store with an iPad in their hands.

[weendey]

I am a teacher, and in my country nearly all schools hands out a free iPad to each kid when they start school (they start school the year they turn 6, so the youngest are 5 1/2). Many of the apps we use need sound, so the kids will also sit with headphones. Parents and kids to get a course in safe use of internett, and we have lots of rules the kids have to follow when using the iPad. But try getting a 6 year old to concentrate on a math app, when YouTube og other more funny apps, are just a sweep away. Yes there are some good things with it, especially when used in combination with other activities, but in my experience many of the kids learn less from iPad apps than from sitting with pen and paper or doing hands on activities. I also belive children are becoming less able to concentrate, worse in social interactions, and more angry.

[teenskillslife]

Children and teenagers learn from back and forth conversations. Very true.

[hollytaylor]

I fear this generation will have no innovators, no free thinkers, no philosophers. These kids haven’t been giving a minute to be alone with their thoughts, creativity and imagination. They would rather what a child through a screen play with a toy than play with a toy themselves. It’s really sad and teachers are only just going to start seeing the negative impact of shoving an ipad or tv in front of a kids face. Ik being a parent is tiring and hard but please try at least limit their tike infront of screens. They’ll turn out much better in the longterm. Children need to develop an imagination and creativity not how to use an ipad. They can learn that when they’re older, let kids be damn kids not zombies to a screen

[roughpatches]

This video has value, I feel that the negative comments are from viewers who were hoping for information on the bare bones questions like "How harmful are screens to young children" because I'm of the belief that most parents are more weary of the child's age, time spent, , and content of the screen time

[AwarenessModule]

This is interesting. I have found that adults who understand and familiarize themselves with technology can become their child's media mentor. I come across so many parents and teachers that are afraid of technology and have absolutely no idea what their kids are doing on their phones and tablets. Most parents would rather ban digital devices instead of learning more about them. This can be dangerous seeing as technology runs our world. Banning technology is setting your child up to be unprepared in a digital age.

[jeronimolegua]

I will try to apply this part: "what if we were to commit to ensure that every family with
young children had access to a media mentor?
This could be someone like a children's librarian,
a child care professional, a preschool teacher,
even parents themselves.
We have the power to talk with our kids about what their seeing
to understand the media in new ways with them,
to help them see how it might relate to the outside world to
help them look up from the media and do some activities in the
kitchen and go out to the backyard and go for a
treasure hunt.
We can learn from the media and then apply that outside"

[miasmom]

My daughter is 4 and has a good playmate/friend who is 5. Whenever we get together to play... whether it be at the playground, our backyard, the beach.. this kid always has his iPad with him. Always. His mother (who I’m Friendly with) allows him to take a iPad to a play date that’s usually outdoors ?!?! And in between whatever activity the kids are doing, he will intermittently stop and go watch YouTube etc.
I find it behind ridiculous & pathetic actually that he’s aloud to do this. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[oksanasears]

Engaging in dialogue with our children, whether it's reading, other activities, or watching the screen(tv, maintaing a good balance....moderation, not chronic use there are positive, underlying messages and lessons that can be to face interaction and dialogue(eye contact, facial expressions, body language) with parents and others so important....'it takes a village(or community) to raise a parents

[robertamichnickgolinkoff]

Lisa Guernsey is so fabulous! Loved the anecdotes! Loved the talk!

[charlenejo]

I think I watched this in one of my classes. It's a very interesting TEDTalk.

[psyoungjun]

with the advent of new technologies, there are many devices which children can use in their spare time, and they can spend their free time in various ways. there are both merits and dismerits to this penomenon; however, I believe that the drawbacks override its benefits.

before the advent of new devices, children usually spent their free time by doing various activities outside home. but now, it has changed. children prefer to stay at home and play with those devices which makes them inactive and isolated

[straylor]

Well done, touching on some important studies, and questions that parents as well as media developers should be aware of.

[Youtuber-lveh]

I bought my kids an iPad at 1 year old, installed high quality learning apps and I use it to teach them things. Some of them are on subscription used by in actual kinder gardens. My kid used to be zombified when ads on on TV came on so disconnected cable TV so we can only watch Netflix.

I'm going to be honest, eventually I removed all electrons for everyone in the house because she was too hyper at sleep time

[EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

Kids have a natural instinct for the next big thing...
In the 80s and 90s, parents would worry about kids spending time on computers, thinking they should go outside or develop 'job skills'... Not knowing they were instinctively developing better future skills..
We should be looking to them for idea's...

[zlypy]

Insane that this was posted 10 years ago and we're just now taking it seriously

[iRespyable]

This Tedx was not boring at all!! Please don't listen to comments before you watch. Make your own opinion. I personally learned a lot from this! And I felt she addressed valid concerns about children learning.