Too much screen time robs kids of real, social interaction.

RODALE NEWS, LENOX, MA—Last week Steve Jobs and Apple unveiled their new IPad tablet computer, which is basically an Iphone on steroids. Kids across America are salivating over the device, a portable, full-screen touchpad tablet computer that puts the world in your hands. Videos, text messaging, Facebook, Google, Skype. 120,000 apps! I can imagine the conversations going on now: “But Dad, I can do my homework on it! And my teachers put our assignments up on their websites. I really need one!”

So, should you rush out and get your school-age child an IPad? How about a laptop? What's wrong with providing computers for children?

A few weeks ago, I issued a cautionary message about exposing preschoolers to computers. Today I’m sounding the alarm for elementary aged kids. Now, I’m not advocating a ban on computers for children. Schoolchildren need to be computer literate to succeed in school and in life. But I am saying that unlimited computer use is not a healthy practice for children in grade school And I'm suggesting some guidelines that will maximize the benefits, and minimize the risks, that IPads, PCs, and the rest bring to your kids.

THE DETAILS: As I pointed out previously, there are downsides to providing computers for children before they're ready. Too much computer use too soon can interfere with children's' physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. Children’s brains and body’s are hard-wired to develop through interaction with the real, physical world, not a two-dimensional virtual world. And kids in grade school are going through lots of important developmental stages, beyond just getting bigger and smarter.

It's between the ages of seven and twelve, the cognitive stage of concrete operations, that children develop their sense of logic, rules, and cause-effect relationships through interacting with the physical and social world. They experiment by touching, building, moving, and observing the world around them. They learn through interaction with other children and adults how to function in society. They learn to co-operate with peers, to regulate their emotions, to function in a group, and to deal with social expectations. This period is crucial in the development of eye-hand co-ordination and a confident sense of self in relation to the physical and social environment. When children spend too much time in front of screens and not enough time interacting with the world around them, they can miss out on experiences necessary for healthy development. Excessive computing may disconnect children from nature, and contribute to emotional detachment, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, attention problems, and social insecurity. During this critical and irretrievable period in brain development, children need to have a wide range of genuine physical interactions with the world that forge connections and stimulate the brain—even “educational” computer programs cannot stimulate the brain in the same way as interacting with real objects, people, and places.

Read on and learn how to keep your children's computer use under control.