Are Tablets & Smartphones Good For Children?

During lunch time, I saw a boy about 7-8 years old in a restaurant, sitting there and playing tablet games. His mom was standing by his side feeding him his lunch. His eyes were only on the screen of the tablet all the time.

You may not agree with me but I find this scene ugly and heartbreaking.

Many parent let their young children playing with their tablets or smartphones without control. Some children even have their own device at a very young age.

When you go to a restaurant or coffee shop or a wedding dinner nowadays, how frequent can you see children playing games on tablets?

Some parent may find this way perfect to keep their children from disturbing them.

My wife and I share the same view that those tablets and smartphones games are not for young children. However, I believe that many games apps are designed for them.

Even though some parent may argue that there are many "educational" apps for children, I still don't find it right for young children to fix their fragile eyes to the screen everyday.

I don't have a tablet, even though actually I would love to have one. I don't even have a smartphone until my sister gave one to me as a present last year.

Anyway, this does not mean that my kids do not have any exposure to tablet games at all.

I know that sometimes my mom "curi-curi" let her grandchildren playing with her ipad, as she may feel pity for them by not having fun from ipad like many other children have.

I'm alright with this as I know that sooner or later my children will get exposed to it. So I view this as a good way to let them know about ipad. What I do is just to guide them to manage their time spent on ipad.

Luckily so far they are not addicted to it.

Some parent might think that the future is all about internet & smart devices, so we should expose our children early to all these high-tech stuff so that they can gain "advantage" over other children who are not internet or computer savvy.

Some might argue that playing games on tablet or smartphone can help to train children's mental alertness, problem solving skill and finger dexterity.

Personally I don't agree with these ideas. In my view, it can only damage children's eyes, makes them hyperactive, waste their time and negatively affect their social skill as well as parent-children relationship.

Hence, I think we should keep their time on tablet/smartphone as minimal as possible.

To gain advantage on other children, I would put more effort into building good foundation in their attitude, sense of responsibility, sense of love and confidence. It's not to burden them with pressure to get No.1 in class, or attending multiple talent and tuition classes.

Young children will be very happy if you buy them toys or junk food. However, do you notice that the joy is short-lived? What they really need is being recognized, being loved and being accompanied.