Why Jumping on the Digital Bandwagon May Not Be Best for Your Baby

What’s the Big Deal?

I am a mom of two toddler boys and let me tell you it is a lot easier to not introduce screens to your babies from the beginning. If you already have, please read all of this and do your best to at least limit it. If you have older children, you can contact your internet provider about parental control and monitoring. These days technology companies are strongly trying to market the pro tech approach but if you read below and help spread this blog post together with me, we can build a better future for our children and us.

1. By five years old 90% of the Brain Growth Happens- kids do not need screens, they need reality so they can form and understanding of it. They need to touch, feel, smell, taste, move and experience the world. Humans are sensorial learners when they are young. These are important developmental stages not to be missed by sitting in front of a screen.

2. The absorbent mind-Under the Age of 6 kids soak information with ease. Early years are crucial for building foundations for the rest of their lives.

3. Movement and Cognition are intertwined- Research shows a child does not retain much from a screen as they are sitting still most of the time. Through movement such as play a child learns and retains that knowledge a lot more.

 Montessori: The Science Behind... by Lillard, Angeline Stoll (amazon.com)

4. Children are unable to regulate uncomfortable emotions-Children will not learn to entertain or calm themselves when bored or uncomfortable when they are given technology to "assist" them during these times. Today when adults have anxiety, they are told in order to regulate their strong emotions they need to be present, breath and put the technology away. Too much screen time in general has been linked to an increased risk of anxiety and depression in kids.

5. Lack of creativity, of interaction, using imagination and not being physically active-all life skills children miss out on in their early years.

6. Pro tech research results are funded by tech companies themselves-if you look closer, more are more unbiased research is coming out now that shows negative effects on children and screens

7. There is growing awareness that people feel drained, anxious, overstimulated, irritable and burnt out after using technology.

8. Silicon Valley Tech experts keep their own children away off Screens at home and choose low tech schools for their kids Silicon Valley Parents Are Raising Their Kids Tech-Free (businessinsider.com)

 

9. Technology changes rapidly but needs of humans are consistent, developing themselves as people will set our children up to be inventors of the future. What's more important to you.

A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

10. Lack of self control and discipline-young children learn through direct interaction through their five senses, they control their own senses through free will while doing so they develop self control and discipline. Practice of and use of the five senses.

 

11. Screen time means Less time spent making own decisions-Experts design television shows to their own benefits not to that of the child, the child would want more and more, an addiction. This is not a prepared environment specific for that child’s best development needs in mind.

12. Young children are far more sensitive than adults, their nervous systems are more sensitive. What is feed to their brains should be more holistic and useful.

13. Unable to focus and concentrate -all of learning depends on the foundation of being able to focus to be productive and meaningful. The child loses their natural capacity for attention when exposes to screens. The ability to learn drives from an authentic development of a child’s intrinsic capacity for attention, if they cannot be attentive then how will they learn in life.

 

14. Brain structures are negatively impacted by screen technology - Research has shown that screens can have a negative impact on the way the brain develops in young children. Excellent Research How Has the Internet Reshaped Human Cognition? - PubMed (nih.gov)

15. Time spent outdoors nature helps child stay calm, feel refreshed and encouraged reflective thought.

Technology is easy to learn in just hours, but building a strong and intellectually rich child takes years to form, in the end you must consider what’s best for you and your Childs future and if its really worth it. 

 

We live in a tech-driven world. From smart refrigerators to tablets, we are surrounded by screens - for adults this is a resource, but for babies it can be a deterrent to developmental growth. 

In conclusion, while screens have become an integral part of our modern lives, their effects on babies' health and development need to be carefully considered. As parents, it’s our duty to safeguard our little ones' wellbeing and ensure they grow up healthily, and this includes their digital diet.