Interactive devices, such as a computer or a smartphone, are now in every house, and modern children get to know them literally from the cradle, according to an Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net The impact of electronic devices on the development and health of children is complex and controversial.

Frankly, science knows about it is not enough.

In the new issue of the journal Pediatrics, leading American scientists examined various types of interactive devices in the educational, psychological and, of course, medical aspect.

Many studies confirm that children under the age of 30 months can not be so effectively trained with a TV, computer and smartphone, both through real interaction with people and objects. So it's not quite right those moms and dads who show the 2-year-old kid "training" on Youtube.

Early research suggested that interactive media, such as e-books, can be very useful in teaching reading, but only for children 4-5 years and older. Potential educational benefits of electronic devices for children under 2 years of age are in question, since scientific data for this category are still meager and contradictory. But psychologists are well aware that such small children are best trained in live communication.

The new article says that mobile devices can be used for educational purposes in children, but the distracting effect of such devices can negatively affect the emotional and social development of the child. In other words, a child should spend more time in the real world, rather than in virtual.

Researchers ask an important question: "If electronic devices become for you the main method of distraction and soothing of the child, how does this child develop his internal mechanisms of self-regulation? ".

"It is well known that a lot of time at the TV - this minimum time for the development of speech and social skills in the child. Mobile media similarly displace direct interaction with other people from the life of children ", - warns the co-author of the study, Dr. Jenny Radesky (Jenny Radesky), clinical instructor in pediatrics development, School of Medicine, Boston University. Dr. Radeski worked as a pediatrician at the Boston Medical Center.

The authors raise the question that the abuse of interactive devices in childhood can affect the development of empathy, ability to solve problems and social skills of the child. After all, all this is acquired in an unstructured game and interaction with peers.

"Mobile devices replace the work with hands, which has a bad effect on the development of sensorimotor skills, visual-motor coordination in the child. And these things are very important for studying and applying a number of sciences in the future, "adds Radeski.

Although much remains a mystery, the authors of the study recommend that parents try each application independently, and then offer it to their children. Parents should also use electronic applications in conjunction with children, and not give the child a game only so that they "do not touch for half an hour". Sharing interactive media is useful from an educational point of view, so you can spend these half an hour with great benefit to the child.

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