Many modern parents seem to think that giving their child a device is a good way to get them occupied and also teach them something new. The problem with modern phones is that they are created in a way that even a parrot can successfully navigate them.
Knowing how to use a phone does not make a child clever for their age, as a lot of parents seem to think. In reality, it just makes them stop developing many other needed skills. One of the less obvious skills is the ability to understand how our 3D world functions.
I had one such memorable occurrence in my practice. I gave a 4-year-old boy a set of cards that were depicting various animals. Instead of getting the card closer to his face, the boy tried to enlarge the image the way that he would do it on the phone – using his two fingers. It may seem like a humorous story, however, this child ended up having a myriad of educational problems later in life.
There was also another 5-year-old girl in my practice who faced a completely different problem. While she knew all the numbers up to 10 and the colors, her understanding and acceptance of nature was lacking. She didn’t seem to fully grasp the concept of seasons or weather, since her parents rarely walked with her unless it was necessary. The less pleasant aspects of nature, like rain, mud, or some usually well-liked types of insects like fireflies or ladybugs, provoked disgust and hysterics.
Our society has yet to realize how valuable exposure to the natural world and new experiences really are. While parents give their children phones instead of books, teachers and therapists all around the world strongly recommend against it. Sadly, as long as there is fast and easy entertainment, there will be children affected by this problem.