Tablets/IT for the under 4s?

I think 3 is far too young , out digging dirt tasting worms and causing us heart attacks is what they should be doing , not stuck indoors with a Tablet .

ps , I thought they were getting pills instead of liquid Calpol from your heading !

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, was a "low-tech parent". I think he got it right:

www.inquisitr.com/1468612/steve-jobs-didnt-let-his-kids-use-iphones-or-ipads-heres-why/

I am thankful that they live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and experience that every day. Walks, worms and all! It is childhood as I remember it.
If an old gal like me can master IT, then they, too! And more so.

I did just call it tablets first, then changed it!!

My husband and I disagreed on this point at Christmas. He wanted us to get our just turned 4 year old grand daughter a tablet and I was very much against it. Fortunately, our son and his partner didn't think it was a good idea but not for any deep reason, simply because they thought that our grand daughter and 2 year old brother would fight over it constantly.

An article in the Observer this week put forward the view that the internet is negatively affecting the way we think. Although many people subsequently expressed their disagreement, I suspect there's some truth in what he says. And if Steve Jobs felt that there were dangers in allowing children free rein, he surely knew what he was talking about.

Anyway, I think 3 years old is far too young.

Chatting to our neighbours last week they talked casually of how useful their children's (aged 4, 6, 8) ipads were on long car journeys (London to Edinburgh).

I must say I did a double take and said nothing. Our DGC (4 & 7) most emphatically do not have ipads and DS & DDiL keep very firm control of their, limited, access to the home computer. They frequently use their school's website for games and learning material and the elder one is now beginning to search for things she is interested in, under supervision and with all parental controls switched on.

Well, sometimes we grandmums have to keep stum and lips sealed. Both ours got tablets this Christmas, aged 4.5 and 8.5. They knew that if grandson got one, and not grand-daughter, it would cause huge arguments.

They do do lots of other activities, walks, outdoor sports, etc, and hardly any tv, but even so.

Tablets are used in primary schools. OFSTED expect pupils from an early age to be proficient in age appropriate IT. Teachers would be judged lacking if they were not involving their pupils in IT usage.

We must be careful not to become 'Ludites ? X

I am on the fence on this one which is unusual for me!

They are being used in schools early as J52 says.

But on the other hand, once they are on them, how hard is it to get them off them?
And could it damage their young eyesight at all [that is probably a rubbish thought].

So, as I say, on the fence.

ooh, now I see that the heading is tablets for the under 4s.

I think under 4 is probably too young.

I remember bringing this matter up previously and didn't get much support for my views that pre-school age was too young for tablets etc.

Agreed J52- but grandkids had access to parents' tablets and laptops- and were very confident and even proficient, at using them, so no problem there. I really don't see why kids thatyoung have to have their own. Parents have of course put controls on them- so they have a maximum time per day to use them- and then it cuts out- unless parents allow extra time on specific days for homeworkd research, etc- so that's good.

I do worry about the pressure on other parents who just do not have the means to let their own kids have tablets too- and the possible 'keeping up with the Joneses, etc.

My dgd has used an ipad since about 20 months, she has her mums old one and it only has kids stuff on it, shes now more then 2 and can use it confidently, choosing games like pepa pig and various painting games.
Shes not on it all day and goes out regularly, she rides a scooter, like playgrounds and paints/scribbles etc, she can now recognise words which is a step towards reading of the future.
Both parents are keen readers ,they all have lots of books therefore I cant see the harm in it as she is not allowed to have it any length of time and its helping with her reading skills. Besides in this weather she cant go out much so why not.

Provided parents ration IT time as they do (or should!) TV time, where is the harm in children keeping abreast of the world in which they live, and which we should make every effort to understand?

J52 is right, older people should try not to be Luddites.

I remember my grandmother sitting tutting as loudly as she could all the way through "Top of the Pops" and similar shows. It did not endear me to her, but rather accentuated the age gap.

The problems are -

They get so hooked on them that it causes family arguments when they are asked to put them down.

A lot of the programmes are too frenetic for small developing brains and wind them up and make them stressed.

I'm not a Luddite! - I use computers all the time and recognise that our GC will use them as a large part of their daily lives. But we are old enough to discriminate - we know when we have done enough, and we know what other good things there are out there to do. When you are so little you do not know what you are missing because you have not yet has enough experiences. It is easy to get hooked on the tablet games.

My GC's assorted devices cause nothing but aggro - although not all my DDs allow their children to have them.

I think they should have them. In fact I have to give up my phone, my tablet and my computer when the GCs visit.

DS now 19 worked out how to switch on his Granpa's computer and found the CBBC website all by himself at the age of three. Grandma was horrified, Granpa saw it as a good excuse to buy himself a new computer and give over the other one to DS and DD when they visited. Grandma bought herself a laptop, a tablet and a mini-laptop and they were seized too as soon as they were noticed.

Now we are experiencing the same with ours, we know that they will go outside and play when the sun shines, they will go on the computers when they need a bit of quiet. We also know that they are very careful with them, even the three year old. Whose favourite game is a bit like online paper doll dressing - she found it all by herself!

However, DBH is seriously considering buying them their own tablets, purely because although DGS can read well and is very good at helping DGD to find sites she wants, there is always the worry that they will come across something they shouldn't and we don't have controls on ours. Their parents only have phones that they are allowed to use, and it won't be long before DGS will need to use the internet for homework research and a larger screen would be better. We really think they need their own safe tablets if they are to stay abreast with what other children are doing.

Forgot to say - DD is very strict about not letting them use them all day long! Their time is rationed and in half hour chunks.

My GC have been using a variety of tablets since they were 18 months. Ipads, Kindled, Leap Pads, etc. The oldest taught the next oldest and she taught her cousin and so on. They play a variety of games, some educational and some for fun. They stream allowed material onto them such as children's films and TV programmes.
They are NOT allowed to buy in game apps. There are grandparents controls in place.
Use is strictly time limited and any reluctance to close down the tablet results in the privilege being withdrawn.

I've been very pleased with the quality of some of the programmes and apps. My now 8- year old could tell the time in analogue and digital by the time he was 5. I wish his mother had had access to such an app when she was his age as she took forever to grasp this concept.

Of course they play out, go out, play inside, bake, paint, dress up, etc as well. This is just another tool in the kit and one which is very welcome on cold, wet, winter days.

The New York Times article which was part of the link that Grannyknot posted included some interesting points. The writer said that he had met a number of technology chief execs. who agreed with Jobs' view about the dangers of children spending time on screens. The former editor of Wired said "We have seen the dangers of technology first hand .... I don't want to see it happen to my kids."

The dangers he referred have been said to include:

exposure to harmful content
bullying
addiction to devices
reduction in empathy levels and social skills

Could Steve Jobs or the former editor of "Wired" really be described as Luddites?

soontobe, it won't damage their eyesight, any more than sitting too close to the tv will! Another OWT.

MY GC who have these things play with them with a frantic fervour and concentration to the detriment of inerteraction with those around them. And woe betide the parents who try to get them to stop to come and eat their tea!

I really do believe that the speed of action on these games is bad for developing brains which are not wired up to be exposed to such agitated activity. I hate seeing little ones with them. These new young brains are busy making connections that will affect the final product, so to speak, and it is not natural to be bombarded with such high intensity visual and emotional stimulation.

Maybe I am a Luddite!

It would be interesting to see what a neurophysiologist might have to say about it. I will look it all up - tomorrow!

Four of my six GC were given their own tablets for Christmas, including the youngest who only turned three in November. They had been using their parents iPads or phones for games, none are addicted and have many other things they like to do. GD3 has been playing educational games since she was tiny, she also spends a lot of time outside, loves her bike and scooter, likes to paint, dress up, used to play with play dough more than anything else for months.

On the other hand DIL and DS said their boys didn't need tablets, they were concerned eldest GS age 8 wanted to spend too much time playing games on the computer. Plus they have many computers, laptops and an iPad, DS works in IT. GS would not want to go out with them because he might miss out on playing games, even though he was restricted to the time he was allowed to play. They finally decided both boys could have an hour playing games if they earn a token for half an hour practising on the piano or other school work. It's worked really well, GS8 is now relaxed about his time on the computer, his piano playing which was very good has improved and GS6's reading out loud has come a long way since they started with the tokens. Also the boys play other games together and have many other activities.

GS's neighbours, boys recently turned 8 and 6 are not allowed to play computer games at all. When they come to GS's house to play the first thing they want to do is play on the computer. I will be interested to see who in years to come, when there is no parental control, will spend the most time on computers.

One thing I am very much against is allowing children and young teenagers to be on social media sites.

My DD bought my DGS a tablet when he was 3 years old, last year because he wanted to play on her laptop and she had to give it up to him at times.

But then she always seems to have children's tele on 24/7 whether they are watching a particular programme or not, it's just on.

What happened to craft time, cooking together, going swimming, parks?

She doesn't even take them to the supermarket so they are learning nothing about food and where it comes from geographically or from which animal or how it is grown etc. It's a wealth of knowledge going food shopping. It's called time and patience. Doh!

Perhaps not a gadget of their own at that age, but most very young kids want to know what their parents are doing when they use a gadget, whether it's a bunch of keys, a hammer, or a modern tablet device. Normal learning: take an interest in what the other people in your world are doing. As I see it, the only way to prevent a child from wanting to use an IT device, is not to let them see you using one. Seems a bit unrealistic to me to say categorically that they "must not have IT" until they are older, unless that just means not their own personal IT gadgets.

There are some nice games for young children on tablets nowadays.