Common Sense Helps Parents Navigate Digital Nation

This past Christmas I was searching for ideas as to what toys my toddler niece would like.  I called a good source, her mom, to get some suggestions. 

Turns out Santa was bringing Charlotte the Vtech Inno Tab by Vtech, which according to the manufacturer, is a multi-media tablet that “combines interactive reading, learning games, creative activities, and a rich collection of applications into a sleek and durable educational toy that kids will want to play with.” 

The problem I had was that the toy was targeted at kids ages four to nine – Charlotte’s not even two –   yet, even at her young age, she’s tech savvy.  She gets ahold of her mom’s iPhone and with chubby fingers scrolls through the pictures and “plays” games, and she likes to watch movies (Brave is her current favorite) on her family’s iPad. 

Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages television viewing and other media use by children younger than two, the reality is toddlers are watching television and playing with tech devices way before they blow out two candles on their birthday cakes.   

What’s the reason behind the AAP recommendation?  It seems the organization believes that there are “significantly more potential negative effects of media than positive ones for this age group and, thus, advised families to thoughtfully consider media use for infants.” 

According to the AAP some of the negative effects of screen time include obesity, sleep issues, aggressive behaviors, and attention issues in preschool- and school-aged children.

So, what’s an aunt who wants to remain in good standing to do?  All the cartridges for the games were meant for kids much older than my niece.  I went the low-tech route and purchased some books by children’s authors I love, and to make the gift of books even more special I was able to get author Kate Feiffer and her dad, illustrator Jules Feiffer, to  autograph a copy of their book, No Go Sleep (Simon & Schuster, 2012), for Charlotte.

More importantly, what can time-pressed  parents do?   Sometimes these electronic media devices can be sanity savers, enabling us to cook dinner, take a work call or even just go to the bathroom and not be interrupted.  The solution is to be armed in advance with apps, video games, websites, movies and television shows that are appropriate for your infant and toddler. 

Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization, which rates and reviews thousands of media and digital activities for different ages.

According to their website, they “rely on developmental criteria from some of the nation's leading authorities to determine what content is appropriate for which ages.”  Their goal is “to give you trustworthy information so that you can decide what works for your family.”

The Common Sense Media site rates the Vtech Inno Tab cartridges as age appropriate for kids ages four and up, giving them a “really good” (four out of a possible five stars).  In the not so distant future, Charlotte might be getting a few of these from me, along with a hardbound copy of The Giving Tree.