There has been a lot of buzz around what is the right age to give your child full access to technology. Based on developmental experts and even technology moguls, some agree that it is best to wait until the prefrontal cortex of their brain has developed further in order to reduce the risk of “addiction” to their devices. The prefrontal cortex, once fully developed, helps with impulse control.
As in any debate, there are pros and cons to the argument. Smartphones and tablets are a great way to expose kids to educational content and learning more about the world around them. However, the internet can also be a gateway to less than ideal content that in many ways can be too mature for younger audiences.
Bill Gates has set the age limit for his household at 14 to be able to have your own smartphone. Even with those limits, there are screen time limits in his house for everyone that is of age as well and no cellphones are allowed at the table.
As with every parenting decision, the person best suited to make the decision is the parent of the child in question. Some great questions to gauge the readiness of your child are provided in this article.
As an organization that believes in teaching technology at an early age, learning about technology and what benefits it brings to society and the massive improvements it has made does not necessarily need to be learned while using technology. Talking to your kids about technology and understanding how it is used beyond your typical smartphone is an important part of the learning process.
With all major society shifts, we have to understand new barriers we need to set for ourselves and for our families to ensure that new technology is moving us forward instead of taking us back.
What are your thoughts on exposing children to technology? What boundaries have you set up in your household?
We would love to hear from you as we do believe this is an important dialog to have due to the ever changing technological environment!
Check out the links below for additional information!
Article About Bill Gates Household Choices Surrounding Technology
New York Times Article about the Right Time for Tech
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