The Effect of the iPad Baby.
ABSTRACT
This paper is an overview of existing research on child development in regards to the excess consumption of screen time in the home. This is examined through different lenses like public perception, the tablet’s interface, COVID-19 pandemic, and the result of the iPad parenting style. Data was collected by various researchers in order to gain a better understanding of the effects of different amounts of screen time on children.
It was found that developmental delays occurred with children who experienced an increased amount of screen time per day compared to those with decreased screen time. However, with the right content for the child, there can be benefits to technology use if it is in moderation. This exemplifies the results of excessive screen time use and shows that families should take the necessary steps to create guidelines for screen time use. Because screens aren’t going away, moderation by care takers of the content that children are exposed to and limits to the amount consumed are recommended.
Additionally, those around children should reflect healthy technology use by demonstrating it themselves. iPad children are reflecting the habits of their iPad parents, but the difference is that the child doesn’t have a fully developed brain to make that choice themself. This article strives to inform the reader about research that supports limiting screen time for children ages 1-5 years old.
KEYWORDS: CHILDREN, SCREEN TIME, IPAD BABY, CHILD DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
The topic of iPad children has been floating around the internet since the influx of tablet use amongst young children. With varying contexts, typically the title “iPad Baby” is accompanied by various negative connotations by those who may or may not have experienced their effect. iPad babies are defined on Urban Dictionary as “children who wasted their critical developmental years scrolling mindlessly on their parent’s iPad or iPhone…Such children are almost always hyperactive, undisciplined, disrespectful, entitled, rude, volatile, antisocial, emotionally underdeveloped, intellectually stunted, or some combination thereof” (Jimbly, 2022). This statement highlights how divisive this topic has become between iPad parents and those that disagree with their parenting style. However, parents continue to preach their ways and stand by the iPad as effective parenting. But who is correct? The internet allows for people to rampantly share opinions on topics that they have no expertise in without repercussion. So looking past the heated opinions and jokes at the expense of this subsection of Gen Alpha, is there some validity to this debate? Is there scientific research that supports claims of developmental or social delays in regards to excess screen time?
I am not a parent, nor are many people that share my interest in the topic of iPad parenting. So, I want to investigate if there is truth to the slander of iPad children and their accompanying parents, or if there is something beneficial about increased technological literacy at a young age? Developmentally speaking, what does mass amounts of unregulated screen time do to the growing brains of children aged 1 to 5 years old? And additionally, what are the long-term effects as they begin their K-12 education?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Firstly, to define exactly who I am looking at in regards to an iPad Baby, in this paper iPad children are aged 1 to 5 years old and are exposed to extreme levels of screen time. As far as public opinion is concerned, the definition from Urban Dictionary in the introduction truly sums up the extreme opinion people have of this group of the population. Plenty of internet users have jumped on this trend of making fun of these children, noting things like demanding screens in public or a general lack of focus. While it is subjectively fun to laugh at the expense of someone else, it is good to keep in mind that these children: 1. are children, 2. did not choose to live like this, and 3. they will have to face the consequences of their parents actions as they grow older. Additionally, there are folks that have already suffered from these consequences like teachers, caretakers, and the parents themselves. Liv on Tiktok shared her experience stating,
“Every single time an iPad kid comes in…the researchers know. It doesn’t take very long to tell. There is a big difference between babies who are exposed to screens 24-7 and babies who are not. You can tell within the first 10 minutes of meeting a baby. At one point [in the study] we give the parent an iPad and if the baby cannot have that iPad all hell breaks loose. I have seen babies at 8-10 months old who have zero interest in baby toys, but freak out when they see the iPad” (Liv, 2024).
Liv stated that she specifically has a history of childcare, but for this instance she was interacting with infants for research specifically. Teresa Newman posted a TikTok that explicitly stated her perspective on this issue as well. For context, Teresa has taught children before and during the insurgence of technology use amongst children within schools and additionally through the COVID-19 pandemic. “Screen time and the lack of restrictions around screen time has 100% affected their academic performance, the way that they function in the classroom, and their social skills” (Newman, 2023). This perspective is extremely beneficial to the insight into the effects of technology on children. Because of this close, almost daily, interaction with children of the same age group year after year, this allowed her to notice these trends.
An additional trend that was worldwide was the Covid-19 Pandemic, which forced all schooling to go online in a moment's notice. This sudden shift in schooling techniques allowed for widespread use of technology amongst children. This doubled with the collective exhaustion from living through quarantine, families needed a simple distraction that keeps them occupied. While this increase of technology at this time affected everyone on Earth, what led to the iPad leading this movement? Computers, video games, and TV have all existed forever with their fair share of controversies involving overuse by children. But is there significance to the tablet interface?
With television, video games, and computers, typically there are varying levels of difficulty when interacting with each piece of technology. “Young children have historically limited engagement with, or capacity to use, desktop devices and their associated interfaces” (Nansen et. al, 2016). This is because each interface requires knowledge of designated symbols and specific muscle movements in order to successfully interact with them. There are letters on keys and each key does something different. This is less intuitive than a touchscreen, with the minimum user competency of a touch screen at about 12 months old, which is compared to 2.5 years for a computer mouse. Touch screens also rely on symbols and specific muscle movements, but the interface is much more intuitive. Nansen and Jayemanne highlighted this notion in their article, Infants, Interfaces, and Intermediation: Digital Parenting and the Production of “iPad Baby” Videos on YouTube. After analyzing a YouTube video of a baby girl attempting to interact with a magazine like she would with a tablet, they concluded that “such interfaces bypass traditional input devices like the keyboard and mouse by enabling users to gesturally manipulate screen displays'' (Nansen et. al, 2016). Additionally, there is more to it than usability to peak children’s interest.
The physical design of the iPad and the content that it delivers is especially important to the overall appeal of the device. “A perfectly flat, glassy surface is magical all by itself. It doesn’t exist in nature… and when it’s covered with fog or a slippery oleophobic coating, it gets even more interesting to your fingers…” (Nansen et. al 2016). This paired with accompanying sounds and visuals, it’s a sensory dream. Balakrishnan & Griffiths (2017) and Burroughs (2017) found that online videos accessed through YouTube are also designed specifically to be enticing and engaging for young children. With that in mind, how does all this affect those tiny users?
To put simply, excess screen use at such a young age is not good. Various organizations like the AACAP (2020), the World Health Organization (2019), and Internet Matters (2019) have all released information pertaining to the topic to spread awareness to parents. And now, 4 or 5 years later, iPad parenting continues on. A typical response from an iPad parent when they are met with any negativity towards their parenting style is, “Well, you’re not a parent and you wouldn’t understand until you’re in that situation.” This response is problematic because it seems like an excuse to deflect any wrongdoing. This is something that Teresa Newman pointed out in her TikTok as well, who at the time had a decade of experience working amongst children without kids of her own. She additionally mentioned that this excess of screen time stunts their social growth and academic performance, while setting them up for an addiction to said screens.
Fortunately, it’s not just her words against every other iPad parent. Various studies have occurred that align with her perspective. A study by Takahashi et. al (2023) sought to examine the association between screen time among children aged 1 year old and the delays that occur at age 2 and 4 years old. Specifically they tracked the 5 domains of child development including, communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills as the group aged. This study’s group included 7,097 children and their respective mothers. Of the children that were exposed to greater amounts of screen time at age 1, they saw developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at ages 2 and 4 years. A different study by Xie, H et. al reported a “negative relationship between screen time and children’s language and cognitive skills, self regulation, and self efficacy” and a “positive relationship with problem behavior” (Xie, H et. al, 2024).
Additionally it’s not just flat out screens themselves, but the content that it displays as well. The wrong content on the internet can have the opposite effect on a child. YouTube is a prime example of a location that has extremely beneficial and educational content for children and content that is seen as unsuitable for the younger audience. “Such platforms without regulation allow children to access inappropriate content that may be psychologically, intellectually, or emotionally harmful and unsafe” (Alqahtani, et. al, 2023). Regulations to what children have access to on the internet is very important for the child’s safety. YouTube has the option for a YouTube Kids’ account, which restricts what they can view. But, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry also suggests to “familiarize yourself with programming to make sure it is age-appropriate and, [if applicable] to talk to your child about what they are seeing” (AACAP, 2020). There are a lot of videos out there that want your child's attention, for better or for worse.
With the right content, the iPad can be an amazing tool for education amongst children. In the study Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management, Muppalla et. al found that “research has suggested that electronic books and learning-to-read applications may improve young children’s early reading skills and creative thinking capacities” (Muppalla S, 2023). It was additionally noted that “studies have also demonstrated the negative effects of screen media use on a number of cognitive areas such as executive functioning, sensorimotor development, and academic outcomes'' (Muppalla S, 2023). Additionally, in How Early Digital Experience Shapes Young Brains During 0-12 years: A Scoping Review, Wu, D et. al, (2023) found similar results were produced finding both negative and positive structural changes in children’s brains. This highlights both sides of the argument, where there is some truth in both opinions.
With everything, screen use included, there must be a balance. And with the right content, limited tablet use can be beneficial to the child’s growth and development. As far as language development goes, Muppalla S (2023) found there are benefits to delaying tablet use, then promoting co-viewing of higher quality content. The AACAP recommends “that screen time should be limited to watching educational programming with a caregiver” (AACAP, 2020) for children 18 months to 24 months. As “for children 2-5, limit non-educational screen time to about 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on the weekend days” (AACAP, 2020). The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry also noted that screens will not be going anywhere and it is important for families to develop a screen-time plan, which may help with persistent asking.
In addition to developing the screen-time plan and monitoring what the child may be watching, there is much that the child can learn from us. The “us” in question includes any parent that may be raising a child, or other adults in their vicinity. In Prevalence of Predictors of Children’s Persistent Screen Time Requests: A National Sample of Parents, Domoff (2021) has found that a key factor in persistent asking for screen use is the adult’s use of technology, more specifically social media. While 1 in 4 preschool age children engaged in persistent requests to use screen media, there was minimal correlation between total amount of screen time and asking. However, “greater daily use of social media by parents also remained positively associated with children’s persistent requesting” (Domoff, 2021). Social Media typically occurs on a mobile device, which is commonly handed to children in situations where they need to be distracted, like public spaces.
This connection is hugely important and directly highlights how our own actions reflect our personal relationships with technology and is therefore showing our children what their relationships with technology should look like. Many adults didn’t have the opportunity or greater access to technology during childhood like these children have, but both groups have developed similar addictive relationships. The major difference is that these adults have fully developed brains, while their children don’t. These adults have the mental capacity to choose to scroll endlessly, but their children don’t. When raising children it is important to lead by example and in regards to technology it is especially important. Fortunately, there is a plethora of information out there to support healthy technology use amongst children, it just takes a little effort.
CONCLUSION
iPad children aged 1 to 5 years old are suffering from their iPad parent’s blatant disregard for their developmental health, which will have long term effects on their growth. Urban Dictionary goes on to say at the end of their definition that “Generation Alpha has been hit the hardest with many young kids lagging socially and academically behind their peers due to [this] inadequate, destructive parenting style” (Jimbly, 2022). The delays include communication, problem-solving, social skills, and educational skills. This information is corroborated by several sources throughout the paper by examining various sample sizes of children of differing ages at different points in their life, analyzing developmental growth patterns. While other sources note that with the right content screen use can be beneficial to learning with young children, there is an emphasis on the right content. On average children are viewing screens closer to 2 hours per day, when the WHO and AACAP recommend no more than 1 hour per day. Excessive use of screen time is not for babies and should not be used as the only parenting tool. Limited and monitored access to screens is a much better alternative that supports the child’s development and growth. There is a general understanding amongst professionals that screens aren’t going away any time soon, if ever, so there needs to be guidelines and restrictions that families use in their homes. At the end of the day, the child’s caretaker should exercise their power in order to allow the child to develop the necessary skills needed to grow into a productive member of society. Additionally monitoring one’s own technology use is another step to help show the child a healthy relationship to mimic. We must lead by example to help prevent children from adopting our technology habits and experiencing similar fates of addiction to screens.
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