I was reading articles from the CNET site this afternoon and I came across a picture and article that caught my attention. The full article is here, but as much as the article, it was the picture that caused a series of reactions in me.
My first thought was, “this must be a joke.” As soon as I saw that it was real, I thought, “Well, that's terrible.” and I'm sure, by reading the article that most people feel the same.
But then I thought, “Why is it terrible?” When our daughter was a baby she had a similar chair with hanging toys for her to see and touch and manipulate. This chair has those same toys plus a screen to see and touch and manipulate. There are pictures and video of our daughter in her chair in front of the television (this is probably showing that I'm an awful parent, but we do have an amazing daughter despite). This child can watch the screen of the iPad and might be more actively involved. How is this worse than my daughter's chair?
But then I thought, “you are blinded by your tech orientation.” This chair is based on assumptions that haven't been proved and could have effects long after the chair itself is gone. Do I know if this is a healthy viewing distance? What is the effect of manipulating digital objects instead of physical ones? Does this feed a lifetime of technology addiction?
So I don't know what I think. Like most things in tech, there isn't a simple answer. You can't always trust your gut reaction…or your reaction to that reaction.
As always, I welcome your comments.
Image: Taken from article
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While I am a tech fan and my daughter is a computer programming major and would think this is cool, this reminds me too much of a scene from Wallie. Remember where everyone is in space and no one is able to move because they have become so fat-I fear we would start this trend with our kids too early!
I don’t know what I think, but I think that nothing replaces holding your baby and talking to her or him. Old fashioned? Yes, but I worry about all those things a baby won’t get if he or she is held less.
I have 5 kids, youngest, 22. So this isn’t a direct issue for me. But we raised our kids with no TV in order to channel their energies elsewhere. This sort of thing I expect would be fine, and better than passively watching a screen; but like lots of technology, it shouldn’t be a substitute for something more developmentally substantial and physically engaging.
Maybe. But, at the Apple Store the other day we heard a mother asking her 3-year old what his password was. As a person with hundreds (thousands?) of passwords most of which I forget on a regular basis, I felt pretty sorry for the little guy.
Maybe. But, at the Apple Store the other day we heard a mother asking her 3-year old what his password was. As a person with hundreds (thousands?) of passwords most of which I forget on a regular basis, I felt pretty sorry for the little guy.