Savvy kids of the mobile generation

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Source: The Daily Telegraph

AUSTRALIAN kids are growing up in a world of mobile technology, but how young is too young to let them be part of it?

It's a vexed question for any new parent, especially when toddlers become old enough to grab an iPhone and protest incessantly when they don't get to play with it.

Professor Elizabeth Handsley, president of the Australian Council of Children and the Media, warned parents to wait until their children were at least two before relenting.

"Those first two years are a very important time in a child's life and ideally parents should be making a priority of interacting with their children," she said.

"They shouldn't just stick a gadget in their child's hands and expect them to interact with that instead."

Not that the tech-related trouble for parents ends when a toddler turns two.

Decisions must be made about how long children are allowed to use mobile devices and which apps are best.

"Review the apps - think about how they will help your child's development. Don't just think about how it can keep your child amused for hours while you can get on with other stuff," Professor Handsley said.

"The problem we are hearing is that a lot of parents use them as what we call 'shut-up toys', where they give the iPhone or iPad to the child so that they can get on with their coffee and chat to their friends."

Even the time of day needs to be considered. Paediatric sleep researcher Sarah Blunden said children needed at least a 45-minute break from smart-phones and tablets before bed.

"There is evidence to show that blue light affects sleep-wake rhythms the most, and mobile screens produce a lot of blue light," she said.

Newcastle speech pathologist and mother-of-two Melissa Hayles said she started letting her eldest son Archer use her iPhone shortly before he turned two: "I was amazed by how quickly he picked everything up," she said. "It was just an app with basic animal flash-cards but he picked up the tapping and double-tap and sliding straight away."

Ms Hayles said she limited her son's use of her iPhone and iPad at home.

"We tend to save it for things like when we're waiting for a doctor's appointment or a long car ride," she said.

Child psychologistDr John Irvine said children raised to use technology in moderation would benefit later in life: "It's a matter of keeping the balance," he said. "Most sensible parents will know that if the child is getting obsessed to the point where they will scream if they don't get their turn on the iPhone or iPad, they are probably becoming a bit too reliant on it. But if kids are able to enjoy it and come off it without a problem then it's probably OK."

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