The Double-Edged Touchscreen

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Western media now regular- ly reports on iPad addicted toddlers， and in China， a Wuhan two-year-old is losing his sight after a year-long obsession with a tablet. Concern for problems related to electronic products has been on a steep rise. Are they safe for young children？

Over the last few years， China has seen tremendous growth in demand for electronic products such as smart phones and tablets， and now retailers are increasingly targeting younger users. Tablets have become the standard toy for post-millennials， making today’s grade-schoolers the “touching generation”.

Lost Childhood？

Ms. Meng’s 4-year-old son is one member of the “touching generation.” He would cry non-stop when his mother took away her iPhone， so she simply bought him one of his own. “Since then， he lies on the sofa for hours， gazing at the screen， playing games or drawing pictures，” Meng explains. The boy became quiet： no more stories， no playing with building blocks， and considerably less talking. “I don’t know what will happen to him if he keeps doing this，” she adds.

Tablets have been big hits with young children due to their unique features and clear， bright screens. One touch of a finger leads them to a surreal but elaborate world. Of 511 Chinese parents recently surveyed， 82 percent had no problem letting their kids play with such products after age three.

Most parents have no idea on how bad excessive use can be.

Studies are already showing that touchscreen products can cause considerable negative effects on young children.

Many parents， too busy with work， increasingly use such products as babysitters， encouraging behavior that leaves their children obsessed or shortsighted. Also， these products eliminate chances for faceto-face communication. “Overuse will surely weaken a young child’s capability to develop a normal way of thinking， emotions， and social contact， which are major pieces of healthy psychology，” explains Lin Danhua from the School of Psychology at Beijing Normal University.

The problems don’t end there. Young tablet overusers tend to grow up too fast in terms of thinking， behavioral habits， and knowledge structure due to easy access to in- finite information. Yet they are too young to read books with profound messages. They are too young to study complicated techniques.“It doesn’t fit with their growth patterns，” asserts Zhang Xuelian， deputy director of the Research Institute of Science of Thinking and Education under the Shanxi Academy of Social Sciences. “They haven’t yet developed abilities such as discrimination， self-control， and comprehension.”

Neil Postman， an American media theorist， believes that modern media technology blurs the line between children and adults， leading to “lost childhoods.”

Though colorful， the screens can only produce virtual images constructed of numbers. “Children are supposed to be part of nature，” sighs Lin. “Growing up touching grass， flowers， and trees is the natural way to build emotions and perfect their personalities.”

“Where are the mothers？”

Rossana Lin， Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s chief Beijing interviewer for Chinese applicants and chief child development trainer， is a mother of three.

Her family’s last celebration of Father’s Day remains fresh in her mind. “My children were preparing the best food they could for their father： fried eggs， French cookies， and fresh blueberry yogurt，” she recalls. “They picked flowers from the garden to decorate the big plate. Finally， they presented him cards with blessings written by their own hands.”

Despite the prevalence of electronic products， Lin isn’t worried about her children becoming obsessed with the internet because of her unique way of parenting. She considers herself to be their favorite“toy” due to her gifts of wisdom， interest， and love. “When they were small I asked them to do as much housework as possible，” she reveals. “That way， they learned to share responsibilities as a family member. In fact， all good habits， character， and ways of thinking are built by the small details of daily life – optimally with parents around.”

To Lin， the tablet is only one emerging toy that is attractive to children. She doesn’t sensationalize or deny its impact on childhood development. “Don’t blame your kids or iPad when their sight goes bad or they stop speaking，” she insists. “My question is： Where were the mothers when this was happening？ How could a mother let this happen？”

As a specialist in child education， Rossana Lin emphasizes the role of parenting.“Parents should make good use of electronic products. What matters most is helping their children – otherwise unrestrained in the middle of nowhere – build good living habits.”

double-edged Sword

The touchscreen has become an indispensable part of life despite its hidden dangers. Studies have shown that an iPad can be a great aid for young learners if used properly. Tablets are already being widely used in middle schools in at least 50 countries including the United States， South Korea， Japan， Malaysia， Singapore， and Thailand. Tablet education brings advantages in energy conservation， high efficiency， and lower costs due to eliminating paper textbooks and materials.

How to make the best use of such electronic products？

Lin Danhua believes， “The best way to adjust the relationship between young users and the product is to make rules beforehand， delay gratification， and teach self control. This will eliminate the negative impacts and help children form good habits， such as time-keeping， respect， and patience.”

Moreover， the design and development of electronic products for young users should take into consideration the characteristics of the group. Wang Qingyun， an engineer specializing in electronic products， proposes several solutions for young children’s enthrallment with such products： Software designers should consider the applicability to children when developing products， adding features such as “child mode”， which reminds them to rest every half hour and creates more listening than watching. As far as hardware is concerned， it has become vitally important for products intended for children to use the latest display technologies， such as non-lit backgrounds， which cause less harm to the eyes. Such technologies aren’t yet widely used.

Excessive use of anything can be detrimental to health， but as with almost every emerging technology， time will bring answers to many of the most pressing questions.