Early Childhood Development and Technology
Topic:
This seminar encourages discussion around early childhood development and how technology - in particular, technology involving screens - affects both children and parents.
Readings:
Ted Talk: TEDxRainier - Dimitri Christakis - Media and Children (16 minutes): Link to Reading
Psychology Today - What Screen Time Can Really Do to Kids' Brains (4 pages): Link to Reading
Baby Einstein Promo Video (4 minutes): Link to Reading
Time - Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All (2 pages): Link to Reading
NY Times - No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund (3 pages): Link to Reading
Forbes - The Truth About Parenting And Smartphones (5 pages): Link to Reading
NPR - For The Children's Sake, Put Down That Smartphone (3 pages): Link to Reading
Discussion Questions:
In your observation or personal experience, do parents adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance of avoiding “screen time” before children are two years old? Why or why not?
What are the main ways in which socioeconomic status affects early childhood development?
Put yourself in the head of a parent in the 2000s. Do Baby Einstein products seem like a good idea?
Do smartphones increase the risk of less engaged parenting or is technology a convenient scapegoat?
