HOUSTON—Seems like anywhere you go these days, you can spot children using hand-held technology. Even toddlers have mastered the latest smartphone or tablet. Now, there’s a huge explosion of kid-targeted apps, but now some child development experts are raising questions about whether they are good for your children.
Adriana Alaniz owns and manages Barrio Antiguo, a popular furniture store in the Heights, and she’s a hands-on mom to 5-year old Sofia.
Sofia also enjoys spending time with her mom’s iPhone and iPad.
“It’s really fun because you can play games and you can play videos,” Sofia said.
She showed some of her favorites, including a guitar app that turns the iPad into a virtual guitar, along with Angry Birds. It’s not just about keeping Sofia entertained, Adriana looks for apps that educate.
“It helped me with school. You trace letters and it comes out little letters and numbers,” Sofia said about an app that teaches children how to write the alphabet.
Dr. Daniela White, a Houston child psychiatrist, recommends choosing apps that focus on learning.
“Most of the content of those activities should be educational,” Dr. White said.
Smartphones are so new, the long-term developmental effects haven’t been studied, but Dr. White believes they could be addictive, providing instant gratification, even to the littlest users.
“You just touch a button and things just pop up on your screen, so we think that immediate response has an addictive quality to it, [and] they get a reward right away,” Dr. White explained.
Dr. White’s advice to parents is to set a limit on the amount of time-per-day your child uses the smartphone or tablet, password-protect your device to make sure your kids are supervised and learn about the apps before you download.
Alaniz agrees. She reads parent reviews and previews the apps before Sofia gets to use them.
“If there’s an app or a tool you don’t want them to use, then just don’t download it,” she said.
With so many new apps available to kids out there, we wanted to know what your favorites were, and you told us on our KHOU 11 Facebook page. Among some of the favorites were Project Noah, a nature-themed app; the Easy Bake Oven app, where you can mix and bake cupcakes; and My Alphabet Coloring Book, which teaches letters and colors.
The message from experts is moderation, and Alaniz agrees. Sofia is also enrolled in martial arts and gymnastics, and her iPad time is limited, “twenty thrirty minutes, then she’s cut off. She’s really good,” her mother said.
