Experts, parents wonder about long-term effects of touch-screen tech

By William Loeffler, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, September 25, 2011

About the writer

William Loeffler is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-320-7986 or via e-mail.

Warren Buckleitner isn't surprised that an increasing number of preschool-age children have gravitated to touch-screen technology to read fairy tales or learn about shapes and colors.

He's the editor at Children's Technology Review, which evaluates digital products designed for kids up to age 15.

Back in the '80s, Buckleitner studied children's software for his masters thesis at the High Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Mich. He knew something was up when he introduced preschoolers to computers that could be controlled in various ways. The kids preferred touching the screen over every other option.

"I was aware immediately that touch screens could be huge," says Buckleitner, who lives in New Jersey and is an advisor to the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning at St. Vincent College in Unity.

But some child development experts question whether children using touch-screen technology -- often before they can walk or read -- is a good thing.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children age 2 and younger should not be exposed to extended amounts of screen time, which includes computer touch screens on smartphones and iPads and television and video games.

"Little kids' brain development needs to evolve un-interfered with," says pediatrician Gwenn O'Keeffe,a member of the group's Council on Communications and Media. "The more technology that is introduced at a young age, it disrupts how their brains are wired and how kids think and learn. Kids under 2 don't understand what they're using."

Last month, the Rullingnet Corp. of Canada introduced Vinci, a 7-inch touch screen Android-based tablet marketed exclusively for children 4 and younger.

Diego Chaves-Gnecco is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. There is a place for touch-screen apps for children age 2 and older he says, but parental supervision is crucial.

"It is important while the brain of the child is being developed that the personal contact with a parent or human being is there," he says. "Audio stimulation is good, visual stimulation is good. But nothing can replace human contact. If this is going to encourage kids to read more, I will say yes, but it will never replace human contact."

One thing book apps can't replicate is the feel of a real book, Chaves-Gnecco says. The reading experience for very young children, for example, should also include handling a book to help develop motor skills. Parents should choose books with thick pages that the child can feel.

Buckleitner, who has a doctorate in educational development, says it's all in how the apps are used.

"It doesn't replace anything," he says. "It's just another way for kids to play."

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