To gadget or not to gadget, that is the question

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It’s not an unusual sight these days to see a three-year-old playing with an iPad in a restaurant while their parents eat and chat with fellow adults. Compared with when Gen Z were still toddlers, millennial parents today seem to be more comfortable with allowing kids to spend their playtime with mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones.

Is the use of so-called digital babysitters more accepted in the highly digital era we live in now, especially with the plethora of educational apps available for kids?

The use of gadgets or similar devices to keep kids entertained did not exactly start in the digital age, as busy parents have long sought ways to balance working and taking care of their kids. Long before eyebrows were raised at moms who allowed their Gen Z kids to play with smartphones, warnings were already published in journals about the screen time addiction of millennials who grew up in front of television screens.

But according to the studies and psychologists, the risks of too much screen time too early in a child’s development are still the same, if not greater.

In a study published by the Ganesha University of Education in its early childhood education journal last December, researchers studied a small group of parents in Tunggulrejo village in Central Java who had a “permissive” parenting approach that allowed the use of gadgets for kids aged three to six years old and did not punish or reprimand mistakes.

The study found that while their children became independent and more creative, they also suffered from eye problems, would get angry easily, preferred to be alone and were lazier.

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Maria Dwindita, a clinical psychologist at Siloam Hospitals, explains that when parents use gadgets to solve tantrums or conflicts, the role of the gadgets in the child’s life becomes bigger.

“What makes them finally calm down is not the parents, not the presence of their mother or their father. In fact, what makes them calm is the presence of the gadget itself,” she says.

Beyond developmental risks, too much gadget time could also expose children to dangers lurking online.

“Parents are always shocked to find out that their children have been exposed to inappropriate content, because a might seem harmless [based on the cover image],” Maria says, adding that many parents are realizing the risks now and are reverting to old-school parenting.

This does not necessarily mean gadgets should be banned for kids, though. After all, the world is constantly changing and we are all increasingly reliant on technological advancements.

According to a Unicef article on children and gadgets, just turning off everything and banning their use can backfire, especially if no alternative is provided.

Clear rules and boundaries should be given, such as limiting gadget use to 15 minutes at a time three times a day, and establishing this as a routine instead of a reward.

“The most important rule: you need to offer your child something to do other than the phone,” child development expert Natalia says in the Unicef article.

Parents have to set clear examples too, Maria adds.

“Parents have to agree that if they are holding a gadget, it is only for work. They show their children that if daddy and mommy are using a laptop or a cellphone, maybe in the middle of eating and they are forced to pick up the phone, that’s for work,” she says.

“But if the parents are watching TikTok, opening Instagram, scrolling while eating, then we can’t expect their children not to be like that.”

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This article is part of The Weekender, a biweekly tabloid that appears in the Saturday edition of The Jakarta Post. Offering a variety of feature articles on lifestyle and culture, it aims to enriching your reading experience. Subscribe here to access The Jakarta Post‘s Saturday edition and all Premium content.