Why is a tablet dangerous for children? Mental disorders and aggression

Tablets and smartphones can be useful for children, according to doctors from the United States. However, two years ago they also claimed that mobile devices cause serious harm to the younger generation. Researchers around the world share the same position.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conducted a study that completely changed its position on the impact of tablets and smartphones on children's development. Now, according to experts, mobile devices may well be useful for them.
The Academy studied data collected by educators, pediatricians and scientists and concluded that children should be taught to use computers from a very early age. The research was presented at the Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium event. Experts spoke about the beneficial effects of mobile electronics on a child.
According to the AAP, in American households, one third of children aged three and over have a TV in the bedroom, and 72% of children aged 6 to 17 have at least one device with a screen.
However, scientists insist that main question It’s not about whether children will use devices, but how they will do it. The researchers made a number of recommendations, following which smartphones and tablets will be used for the purpose of learning and self-organization. Of course, the use of these funds should be moderate and thoughtful, because only in this case it will not harm the child. Parents should take part in the child's development and strictly monitor what he does with the device.
“They should allow their children to learn how to use the devices, and they should also take part in it themselves. Devices should be a tool, not a babysitter, a reward or a punishment,” the study says.
However, most people have a different opinion and believe that the use of electronic devices by children can only harm them. AAP itself came up with a similar idea in 2013. The Academy argued that exposing children under two years of age to multimedia devices is harmful to their development. It was especially emphasized that there should be no televisions or devices with Internet access in the children's room. Boston University Medicine says tablets and smartphones are bad for a child's social and emotional development. Scientists conducted an experiment in which some children were given devices at an earlier age, and others - at a later age.
Researchers have concluded that smartphones and tablets have an extremely Negative influence on the development of children. The reason for this is that such devices interfere with the development of self-control and, therefore, can make the child emotionally unstable.
Parents often give a tablet or smartphone to their children to calm them down, but in this case the child is not trying to manage his emotions, but is simply distracted. Active use devices also leads to the child’s detachment from the outside world. Such a child is less likely to have compassion and empathy. In addition, devices impede the development of fine motor skills. Researchers from the University of Derby in the UK found that smartphones negatively affect the development of a child’s speech. In their opinion, gadgets should be sold with a warning about the harm they can cause to psychological health. Thus, due to attachment to a smartphone, parents harm the education and upbringing of the child.
Parents often do not want to communicate with each other - having a smartphone in their pocket, they can access the most interesting news with one touch. Lack of attention leads to delays in the development of a child’s speech.
Psychologists note other problems that arise when children use smartphones. With easy access to games and entertainment in the form of a device, a child stops developing his own imagination. The same entertainment subsequently leads to the fact that the child goes to bed later and sleep time in general decreases. With the help of the Internet, a child can easily find information that interests him, but this hinders his ability to learn. Also, a smartphone distracts a child’s attention during classes.
But almost all scientists and researchers argue that the problem of children using devices lies with parents.
After all, they are often the ones who initially give the child a tablet. According to researchers, this is a matter of culture and proper upbringing. Often parents don't realize how much more important it is to communicate with their six-month-old child than to try to calm him down with fun games on the device. Parents must remember that no digital electronic device can replace face-to-face communication with children.
There is nothing wrong with introducing a child to high technology. Sooner or later he will face it anyway. But the responsibility of parents lies in ensuring that this inclusion is for the benefit and not for the harm.

Quantity time, spent by modern children behind the flickering screens of televisions, tablets, computers and smartphones, cannot but raise concerns in parents about their impact on the child’s eyes. Will their eyesight be damaged by constantly sitting in front of a monitor? Does the harmful radiation of modern technology affect their young eyes?

Such a danger really is present, and quite a few young children have already lost their sight due to the irresponsibility of their parents. The tablet is a good nanny, of course. The child sits in front of it for hours without looking away and interacts with the screen. Quantity various programs, specially written for children, only aggravates this situation, making the tablet an even more popular toy. But we must not forget that a quiet and calm child can later cost you dearly.

What is the impact different monitors on the child's vision? Different multimedia devices have different effects on vision. So, at the moment it remains the safest, due to the fact that the diagonal of the screen is large, therefore, the objects on it are the largest, and the child himself can be seated at a respectful distance from him.

Computer computers have a slightly worse effect on health monitor, since when working with him you usually have to sit in front of the keyboard and mouse, and he himself smaller in size. That is, two criteria play a role here: diagonal and distance to the screen.

AND smartphone those with a tablet thus turn out to be the most dangerous. Not only because their schedule is full small parts, but also because it is so difficult to control the correct distance to the eyes. After all, the child does not understand the need to control the distance; he may well cling to the small screen literally closely, in a natural desire to see everything, and in this case, the influence of the monitor on children’s vision will, of course, be as negative as possible.

Concerning harmful radiation , then it seems you don’t have to worry too much about them. Modern monitors emit very little, and their dominance in any home, in any modern apartment, is such that it simply does not leave any chance of actually protecting your own child from them.

Why and how should you limit your child’s use of a smartphone, tablet, or computer? The first thing parents should understand is that a calm and quiet child is not always good. Agree, if you put him to sleep with morphine, he will also be calm and quiet, but is there a parent in the world who is crazy enough to put his child on a hard drug for the sake of peace and quiet?

But this situation is somewhat similar to the one in which parents calm down your child with tablets and smartphones. Even television cartoons must be strictly dosed for showing to a child.

Have you noticed that cartoons for children are always so short? Full-length cartoons are made for older children, from five to six years old, which is easy to understand by the complex plot, difficult experiences of the main characters and instructive content. But cartoons for the little ones are just funny pictures designed to amuse the baby. And they are made so short because until the age of two, a child is not able to comprehend a cartoon for more than 15 minutes.

After this, his young brain becomes overloaded and he loses ability perceive information from the screen. Your two-year-old child, sitting in front of the second row for an hour, is actually in some kind of drug addiction, into which some irresponsible adults deliberately plunge themselves. Any pediatrician will confidently tell you that such entertainment does not bring anything good to the child’s psyche.

And the same thing with a smartphone and tablet, only some short-lived For a while, the baby is able to play with it consciously, and then he begins to poke his finger at it, eager to hear sounds and see sparkling pictures. His eyes strain, stop blinking, the eyeballs dry out from the lack of fluids that wet them when blinking. As a result, the child’s eyes begin to hurt, he is capricious, becomes nervous, irritable, and mood swings only intensify.

1. The later the better. There will be no harm if you try to hide all this equipment from the kids for as long as possible. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to do this for a really long time, unless you live on a desert island. But for children under two years of age, all these technologies are not recommended.

2. The older the child, the more time:
- from 3 to 5 years - 15 minutes;
- 6-7 years - 20-25 minutes;
- 8 years - 40 minutes;
- 9-10 years - no more than an hour and a half (with mandatory breaks).

Further control It will be much more difficult for a child, he will already be old enough to deceive you, and 1.5 hours a day at the computer is not enough today; almost all preparation for lessons is done with his help. It is better to teach your child to take regular breaks every hour and do special gymnastics. It’s better to teach by example; it won’t hurt you to do it either. Vision must be protected while it is there, and not when it is already hopelessly blocked.

3. Distance is the law. Teach children from a very young age to work correctly with any computer equipment. And here, not only maintaining distance, but also correct posture is also important.

4. Smartphones are not a toy. Even though they are trying to make them so. Smartphone screens are very small, they provide too much heavy load on vision. It’s better to buy your child a tablet with a diagonal of 9.7 - 10.1 centimeters.

5. Buy quality equipment. Cheap things are good if they are disposable. And here computer technology must be of high quality, then the influence of the monitor on the child’s vision can be minimized.

- Return to section table of contents " "

Having become interested in information about the benefits and harms of tablets and mobile devices among children, we began to study the information that exists to this day. Having become familiar with big amount sources, we decided to systematize them and write this article from the data obtained. The essence of our article is to give parents a reason to think about raising their child. What information does he receive, how and where, whether it is useful or, on the contrary, harmful. How much time does a parent devote to his child? I decided for myself that the solution to the problem is not in a complete ban on information about new technologies, or vice versa in full access. It’s about giving the information the child needs in dosed doses. Those. so that the age matches the information received.

1. Introduction

In the Internet great amount information about both the benefits of the tablet and its harm to the child. Based on real events and research that has taken place, as well as how they look at it in different countries ah peace. From doctors, from psychologists, from companies promoting tablets and educational games for children. Each parent has his own opinion on the use of tablets by children, either a categorical restriction or a complete ban on the use of a tablet by children, or time restrictions or absolute freedom. After all, children are the same individuals as adults, sometimes they can even teach their parents. But children pay special attention to how and what their parents do with mobile devices.

The materials studied are systematized and structured. There will definitely be benefits from what you read, at least You will be informed as much as possible about your use information space child from different points of view. Many “facts”, sayings and simple opinions invariably bring a smile, many today simply no longer have support, what was previously beyond understanding has now become the norm, or even goes beyond the bounds.

This article contains a huge amount of information, which is difficult to cover, because there are really a lot of sources, but it gives us the opportunity to think about how, where and why this world is going and what awaits us ahead. Let's look at the research that was carried out in the world before at this moment, on the use of tablets by children. We tried to collect all kinds of materials on this issue.

2. Research in the world

Research was conducted on the effect of the tablet on the health of adults at the Lighting Research Center (LRC). The data were published in the journal Applied Ergonomics under the title “Light level and duration of exposure determine the impact of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression.” ). According to the research results, it turned out that using the tablet for 2 hours in bright backlight mode reduces the concentration of melatonin. Most often, those who like to read do this at night while looking and maximum brightness screen, there is a very high risk of developing insomnia, headaches, irritability, and increased fatigue

2.1. Statistics on the use of tablets by children around the world

I propose to go through some countries of the world and find out how things are going with them.

The 2012 Measuring National and Child Well-Being study also looked at how technology use (tablets, phones, etc.) electronic devices) and children's health. It found that children in the UK who use technology for 1 hour during the school day have better well-being than children who use technology for 4 hours or more.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) warned parents in an article in the Dailymail online publication that children under two years of age who use iPads (no time frame for use is specified) later have difficulty completing tasks. simple tasks. Colin Kinney ( Colin Kinney), representing the Northern Ireland branch of ATL, said some parents were replacing social skills development with tablets.

“I've spoken to many children's teachers who have concerns about the growing number of young students who can swipe quickly but have minimal coordination skills to play with building blocks, cubes or other students. Parents of these students speak proudly of their ability to use a tablet or smartphone.”, - he said.
“Many of us have seen some students' brilliant computer skills outweigh their declining pen skills. They are often unable to apply what they have learned from textbooks or in the classroom.”

Members of the organization also noted that some children have problems passing written tests because technology affects a person's memory (tactile or motor) and reduces concentration. Using tablets and smartphones, children gain access to instant information, which may lead to children learning less and remembering knowledge less well.

Here's what Susan Greenfield says ( Susan Adele Greenfield, English scientist, writer, member of the House of Lords), about the work of the brain and the influence of information technology on human consciousness:

“What worries me about information flow, - the possibility of losing the skill of thinking consistently, structurally. Because if you know a lot of things, but don't do the mental work to connect them together, they remain a disjointed collection of facts. The skill of processing information and creating context from it is lost. When they tell me that you can teach a three-year-old child to use Google search, this is crazy to me. After all, first we must teach him to ask and formulate questions. It's stupid to say that books are good and screens are bad. The world is changing at a tremendous speed, we need to look for ways to adapt and make the most of screen technologies without compromising our values.”

2.1.3. South Korea

As of July 2012, the number of Internet users in South Korea among those aged 3 years and older was 38,120,000 (an increase of 940,000 from 2011). This amounted to 78.4% of the total population of the country.

Rice. 4 - Number of Internet users in South Korea (38,120 * 1000 = 38,120,000)

More than 90% of the population aged 6 years and older use mobile phones and smartphones.

Rice. 6 - Usage percentage portable devices

In one of the modern countries of the world (South Korea), with almost the most fast internet On the planet, 160,000 children are Internet addicts, aged 5 to 9 years, according to the National Agency for Information Society. A survey on Internet addiction showed that 7.2% or 2,200,000 Internet users aged 5-49 years are at risk of addiction.

Rice. 7 - Level of Internet addiction and number of addicts by year

Please note the graphs show a decrease in Internet addiction. But at the same time, it should be remembered that the number of Internet users increased by 0.4% (940,000). The age of Internet use is getting lower, causing an increase in Internet addiction in children preschool age.

2.1.4. Russia

Online Market Intelligence (OMI) conducted a survey in 2012. Based this survey another company Digitalparentingrussia (the site no longer works, but there are records in the web archive - http://goo.gl/1rfc59; 7 presentations - http://goo.gl/ujPHPm) analyzed the survey and wrote a report: “What digital devices used by parents of minor children? . The survey was conducted in Russian cities with a population of over a million. Participants ranged in age from 18–55 years and were parents of children under 18 years of age. Only one family member could take part in the survey, so almost 4,000 people were interviewed. As the survey results showed, mobile phones, laptops and computers have become part of the lives of the majority. Tablets are used by 12% of parents and 8% of children.

Rice. 8 - Use of digital devices by parents and their children.

One of the questions was about parents’ readiness to transfer, over time, their digital devices to their children and indicating during the expected period. Let's consider only the data on mobile phones and tablets.

Rice. 9 - Parents’ willingness to hand over a phone, smartphone, tablet to their children

What do parents do with their children on digital devices? We found out that searching the Internet is one of the most common joint actions. Paper books lose their relevance over time.

Rice. 10 - What do parents do with their children if they have (PC, tablet)

Now let's look at the survey of the All-Russian Research Center public opinion(VTsIOM) about the share of Internet users in Russia and from which devices they most often access the Internet.
In 2015, the share of those who use a tablet, smartphone or laptop to access the Internet increased significantly compared to 2012.

Table 2 - Portable gadgets are being used more and more actively

In 2013, the “Digital Kindergarten” experiment was conducted in one of the kindergartens in Moscow. Tablets were purchased for several groups and special educational games were developed. Methodist Elena Kirillova notes:

“Our experience has shown that children who studied on tablets significantly increased their motivation and self-esteem. They were awarded points for correctly completed tasks. To say that the guys had fun would be an understatement.”.

Kindergarten teachers are trying to use new technologies in combination, combining a virtual picture and real game. Here's another example. In front of a group of preschool children - interactive screen, on which a volcano erupts. Next, the teacher shows the children a model of the volcano and conducts a simple chemical experiment- soda, vinegar, a little red paint. Having seen the eruption in miniature, the kids must draw a volcano.

Educator kindergarten Yulia Baryshnikova:

“New technologies open up many opportunities for development; children can be shown things that they would not have seen in person before. But you can't limit yourself to just the screen. Drawing, modeling from plasticine, and “live” games are difficult to replace.".

regarding printed and on-screen text expressed Denis Zolotorev. Text on paper and text on a monitor screen or any other digital device differs significantly from each other not only in terms of technical means and the nature of its creation, but also by perception and interpretation.

2.2. Implementation in school or preschool institutions

2.2.1. China

All primary and secondary schools in China will soon be connected to the Internet. In 2015, 2.6 million teachers in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools will be trained and assessed in information technology. As well as 50,000 primary and secondary school principals. The Chinese government is massively promoting the digitization of books, as well as the distribution of modern mobile devices among schoolchildren and students.

2.2.2. South Korea

The South Korean government is expanding efforts to prevent digital addiction among school-aged and preschool children. South Korean children aged 3 to 5 are being taught how to protect themselves from digital gadgets.

The government plans to digitize all textbooks in 2015 and the school base around tablet computers. Some are already worried about the consequences. South Korea's digital utopia has a profound effect on children. Some children play Online Games on smartphones, tablets and other devices even before they can read and write.

New mobile devices that instantly respond to the touch of a finger are making children more restless than before. They lack empathy, says Kim Joong Hee ( Kim Jun-Hee), a kindergarten teacher who conducted an eight-month study on Internet safety and Internet addiction for preschool children. Kim, the kindergarten teacher, says educating children about digital addiction needs to start early because their smartphones are the new toys.

From next year, her program for 3-year-olds will focus on teaching positive uses of computers, such as listening to music. Children aged 4 and 5 years will learn about the dangers of excessive tablet use and how to control their urges. They read fairy tales where the hero becomes a victim of Internet addiction and discovers alternative games that they can play without computers or the Internet.

Kim says parents need to be involved in education. One 5-year-old girl wrote:

Researchers from the Russian Center for Electromagnetic Safety (CESB) claim that electromagnetic radiation from modern communication devices has a negative impact on the central nervous system. Children are most susceptible. We conducted an analysis among schoolchildren who regularly used tablets and smartphones and found that such children differ from their peers in their absent-minded attention.

According to Russian sanitary standards, it is not recommended for children to use: phones, smartphones, tablets.

Almost two hundred scientists signed an appeal to the UN on May 11, 2015, calling for protection from electromagnetic radiation modern gadgets. According to experts ( Martin Blank(USA) and many others), all users of tablets, laptops, and smartphones are at risk. Radiation from gadgets causes DNA damage in cells and can even cause premature death.

Experts in the field of electromagnetic radiation from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) say that such radiation also increases the incidence of cancer. Scientists from different countries have asked the UN to formulate international safety standards regarding electromagnetic radiation. Scientists also ask for assistance in popularizing information about the risks of using wireless devices among society.

“Frequent use of tablet computers and smartphones has a negative impact on children’s health!”

The American Academy of Pediatricians and the Canadian Society of Pediatricians state that children under 2 years of age should not be influenced by technology in any way, 3-5 years old should be limited to 1 hour per day, 6-18 years old should be limited to 2 hours a day. hours a day. If a child spends a lot of time on a tablet, this has a bad effect on his development.

Stimulation of the developing brain of a child from 0 to 2 years of age caused by gadgets (phone, tablet, Internet, TV), as studies have shown, is associated with increased impulsivity and reduces the ability of self-regulation, such as hysterics. The use of technology leads to a lack of movement, which leads to delays in the child’s development and negatively affects learning.

According to the American doctor Lindsay Marzoli, with prolonged use of electronic touch devices Children experience improper formation of muscle tissue, which is responsible for the functionality of the hands and fingers. Scientists recommend that parents replace children’s games on tablets with drawing on paper with felt-tip pens and pencils, which will lead to a more correct development of the child’s health.

According to the chiropractor Margaret Bryce from Auckland (New Zealand), gadgets cause spinal curvature in children. She said that at the beginning of her practice she encountered cases of correction of the cervical spine in people who were forced for a long time carried out with their heads down: previously these were seamstresses and office workers, but now problems have begun to appear among children.

"Previously, it was believed that they only sat with their heads down during school", - added the chiropractor, - “now they do it all the time”.

In children who literally cannot be torn away from the tablet, coordination between the brain and hands is disrupted. As an example, she cited a ten-year-old boy who, due to a curved back, cannot throw a ball in a straight line: the child’s hands simply do not obey his head, (

p»p»Modern technologies are firmly conquering our lives, various electronic innovations are increasingly being introduced into human life, without these convenient things many can no longer imagine their existence. And it’s quite natural that they are beautiful electronic novelties attract the attention of young children who are very willing to reach for modern gadgets. Most parents look at this with a fair amount of caution, and when their child reaches a certain age, they think hard: is it worth buying a smartphone or a computer for their child, or is it too early? What dangers can a tablet hide for a child, the benefits and harm from them for health and development?

In VO A lot has been said about the dangers of computers for the development of children, many parents have heard about this, and often in families children are prohibited from using such technology, or the time for its use is strictly limited. But are parents really right in their fears? Modern gadgets, in particular electronic tablet(or a tablet computer) become objects of desire for today’s child. Despite the fact that the benefits and harms of technical innovations are still being studied, you should not buy one for your child for his birthday or New Year the object of his dreams becomes more and more difficult. It would probably be wrong to categorically prohibit a child from using electronic technology, since children today must develop taking into account current realities. And they are such that to navigate virtual world it is necessary to be able to do it as well as in real life, and the sooner the learning process begins, the better.

Q Of course, a tablet can be useful to a certain extent for a child. What arguments can be given BEHIND use of such technology by children?

IN 1. Working with a tablet computer can develop abstract, logical thinking in children, it increases attention and helps in making independent decisions.

AT 2. Tactile perception is very important for the development of children at a certain age.

AT 3. A huge number of applications specifically created for tablets allows you to develop various useful abilities and skills. For example, there are programs with logic problems that teach Russian or foreign language, even many games can teach a child something.

AT 4. Most applications are designed in such a way that they are convenient and intuitive to work with, i.e. To achieve the required goal, the child at a subconscious level feels what needs to be done and where to press.

IN 5. The tablet is compact and convenient; it is easier for a child to handle it than a computer or laptop.

AT 6. Children learn skills for school and work much easier when using a tablet computer.

However, among specialists studying this issue, there are many concerns and arguments AGAINST the use of tablets by children, in particular, the following negative aspects are called:

IN 1. When using a tablet for a long time, a child may be in an uncomfortable, incorrect position for a long time, which can lead to poor posture.

IN 2. Long work or playing on a tablet has bad influence on the eyes, visual strain can lead to fatigue of the eye muscles and negatively affect the vessels inside the eyes and the retina.

IN 3. Recent studies show that holding a smartphone or tablet in your hands for too long can affect the appearance of various pathologies of the hands, in particular, cause tendon sprains, ligament damage, and problems with the fingers (especially the thumb).

AT 4. Smartphones and tablets (with a SIM card inserted) create certain radiation that can be harmful to a child's health.

IN 5. Excessive involvement with a tablet, smartphone, or computer poses the danger that the child begins to move less, as a result of which his physical development suffers. Problems with appetite often arise; it may become uncontrollable, and the child may forget to eat on time.

By flipping through the pages on a tablet, a child is able to learn a lot, for example, what birds and animals look like, how letters are written, where the seas and countries are, etc. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, as many parents think when giving their child a modern miracle of technology. Frankly speaking, many parents are satisfied that their child is constantly sitting near the screen, long time he is calm and busy with something, which allows him to grab time to solve endless everyday worries. As they say - no matter what the child amuses himself with. However, the love for tablets among children today seems to be quite unhealthy, and it is at this age that they are supposed to be naughty and play pranks, actively move and play. Instead, to the delight of adults, they sit quietly, burying themselves in the tablet, and do not notice anything around them.

Today, many psychologists and parents come to the conclusion that thanks to tablets, you can easily “miss” your baby. If earlier he needed an eye and an eye, then after introduction into his life modern technology in the form of a tablet, a child can be quiet for hours and do nothing, just press buttons and play. Fathers and mothers are sounding the alarm: the child has stopped playing with cars and active games, he does not fantasize and becomes uncontrollable, he becomes dependent on the tablet. Apart from the tablet, everything becomes uninteresting for children. However, both educators and psychologists believe that prohibitions also cannot lead to anything good. Perhaps the solution will be to purchase a “children’s” version of the tablet, on which exclusively educational and useful applications for children will be installed.

Having become interested in information about the benefits and harms of tablets and mobile devices among children, we began to study the information that exists to this day. After reviewing a large number of sources, we decided to systematize them and write this article from the data obtained. The essence of our article is to give parents a reason to think about raising their child. What information does he receive, how and where, whether it is useful or, on the contrary, harmful. How much time does a parent devote to his child? I decided for myself that the solution to the problem is not a complete ban on information about new technologies, or, on the contrary, full access. It’s about giving the information the child needs in dosed doses. Those. so that the age matches the information received.

1. Introduction

There is a huge amount of information on the Internet about both the benefits of a tablet and its harm to a child. Based on real events and research that has taken place, as well as how they look at it in different countries of the world. From doctors, from psychologists, from companies promoting tablets and educational games for children. Each parent has his own opinion on the use of tablets by children, either a categorical restriction or a complete ban on the use of a tablet by children, or temporary restrictions or complete freedom. After all, children are the same individuals as adults, sometimes they can even teach their parents. But children pay special attention to how and what their parents do with mobile devices.

The materials studied are systematized and structured. There will definitely be benefits from what you read; at least you will be informed as much as possible about the use of the child’s information space from different points of view. Many “facts”, sayings and simple opinions invariably bring a smile, many today simply no longer have support, what was previously beyond understanding has now become the norm, or even goes beyond the bounds.

This article contains a huge amount of information, which is difficult to cover, because there are really a lot of sources, but it gives us the opportunity to think about how, where and why this world is going and what awaits us ahead. Let's look at the research that has been conducted in the world so far on the use of tablets by children. We tried to collect all kinds of materials on this issue.

2. Research in the world

Research was conducted on the effect of the tablet on the health of adults at the Lighting Research Center (LRC). The data were published in the journal Applied Ergonomics under the title “Light level and duration of exposure determine the impact of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression.” ). According to the research results, it turned out that using the tablet for 2 hours in bright backlight mode reduces the concentration of melatonin. Most often, those who like to read do it at night and with the screen at maximum brightness, there is a very high risk of developing insomnia, headaches, irritability, and increased fatigue.

2.1. Statistics on the use of tablets by children around the world

I propose to go through some countries of the world and find out how things are going with them.

The 2012 Measuring National Well-Being and Children's Well-Being study also looked at the relationship between technology use (tablets, phones and other electronic devices) and children's health. It found that children in the UK who use technology for 1 hour during the school day have better well-being than children who use technology for 4 hours or more.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) warned parents in a Dailymail article that children under two years of age who use iPads for an unspecified period of time later have a harder time completing simple tasks. Colin Kinney ( Colin Kinney), representing the Northern Ireland branch of ATL, said some parents were replacing social skills development with tablets.

“I've spoken to many children's teachers who have concerns about the growing number of young students who can swipe quickly but have minimal coordination skills to play with building blocks, cubes or other students. Parents of these students speak proudly of their ability to use a tablet or smartphone.”, - he said.
“Many of us have seen some students' brilliant computer skills outweigh their declining pen skills. They are often unable to apply what they have learned from textbooks or in the classroom.”

“What worries me about the information flow is the possibility of losing the skill of thinking consistently, structurally. Because if you know a lot of things, but don't do the mental work to connect them together, they remain a disjointed collection of facts. The skill of processing information and creating context from it is lost. When they tell me that you can teach a three-year-old child to use Google search, this is crazy to me. After all, first we must teach him to ask and formulate questions. It's stupid to say that books are good and screens are bad. The world is changing at a tremendous speed, we need to look for ways to adapt and make the most of screen technologies without compromising our values.”

2.1.3. South Korea

Rice. 4 - Number of Internet users in South Korea (38,120 * 1000 = 38,120,000)

More than 90% of the population aged 6 years and older use mobile phones and smartphones.

Rice. 6 - Percentage of use of portable devices

In one of the modern countries in the world (South Korea), with practically the fastest Internet on the planet, 160,000 children are Internet addicts, aged 5 to 9 years, according to the National Agency of Information Society. A survey on Internet addiction showed that 7.2% or 2,200,000 Internet users aged 5-49 years are at risk of addiction.

Rice. 7 - Level of Internet addiction and number of addicts by year

Please note the graphs show a decrease in Internet addiction. But at the same time, it should be remembered that the number of Internet users increased by 0.4% (940,000). The age of Internet use is becoming lower, causing an increase in Internet addiction in preschool children.

2.1.4. Russia

Online Market Intelligence (OMI) conducted a survey in 2012. Based on this survey, another company Digitalparentingrussia (the site no longer works, but there are records in the web archive - http://goo.gl/1rfc59; 7 presentations - http://goo.gl/ujPHPm) analyzed the survey and wrote a report: “What digital devices do parents of minor children use?” . The survey was conducted in Russian cities with a population of over a million. Participants ranged in age from 18–55 years and were parents of children under 18 years of age. Only one family member could take part in the survey, so almost 4,000 people were interviewed. As the survey results showed, mobile phones, laptops and computers have become part of the lives of the majority. Tablets are used by 12% of parents and 8% of children.

Rice. 8 - Use of digital devices by parents and their children.

Rice. 9 - Parents’ willingness to hand over a phone, smartphone, tablet to their children

What do parents do with their children on digital devices? We found out that searching the Internet is one of the most common joint actions. Paper books lose their relevance over time.

Rice. 10 - What do parents do with their children if they have (PC, tablet)

Now let’s look at a survey by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) about what is the share of Internet users in Russia and from which devices they most often access the Internet.
In 2015, the share of those who use a tablet, smartphone or laptop to access the Internet increased significantly compared to 2012.

Table 2 - Portable gadgets are being used more and more actively

“Our experience has shown that children who studied on tablets significantly increased their motivation and self-esteem. They were awarded points for correctly completed tasks. To say that the guys had fun would be an understatement.”.

Kindergarten teachers are trying to use new technologies in combination, combining a virtual picture and a real game. Here's another example. In front of a group of preschoolers is an interactive screen on which a volcano is erupting. Next, the teacher shows the children a model of the volcano and conducts a simple chemical experiment - soda, vinegar, a little red paint. Having seen the eruption in miniature, the kids must draw a volcano.

A kindergarten teacher Yulia Baryshnikova:

“New technologies open up many opportunities for development; children can be shown things that they would not have seen in person before. But you can't limit yourself to just the screen. Drawing, modeling from plasticine, and “live” games are difficult to replace.".

regarding printed and on-screen text expressed Denis Zolotorev. Text on paper and text on a monitor screen or any other digital device differ significantly from each other, not only in terms of technical means and the nature of its creation, but also in perception and interpretation.

2.2. Implementation in school or preschool institutions

2.2.1. China

All primary and secondary schools in China will soon be connected to the Internet. In 2015, 2.6 million teachers in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools will undergo information technology training and assessment. As well as 50,000 primary and secondary school principals. The Chinese government is massively promoting the digitization of books, as well as the distribution of modern mobile devices among schoolchildren and students.

2.2.2. South Korea

The government plans to digitize all textbooks in 2015 and the school base around tablet computers. Some are already worried about the consequences. South Korea's digital utopia has a profound effect on children. Some children play online games on smartphones, tablets and other devices even before they can read and write.

Kim says parents need to be involved in education. One 5-year-old girl wrote:

Researchers from the Russian Center for Electromagnetic Safety (CESB) claim that electromagnetic radiation from modern communication devices has a negative effect on the central nervous system. Children are most susceptible. We conducted an analysis among schoolchildren who regularly used tablets and smartphones and found that such children differ from their peers in their absent-minded attention.

According to Russian sanitary standards, it is not recommended for children to use: phones, smartphones, tablets.

Almost two hundred scientists signed an appeal to the UN on May 11, 2015, calling for protection from electromagnetic radiation of modern gadgets. According to experts ( Martin Blank(USA) and many others), all users of tablets, laptops, and smartphones are at risk. Radiation from gadgets causes DNA damage in cells and can even cause premature death.

“Frequent use of tablet computers and smartphones has a negative impact on children’s health!”

According to the American doctor Lindsay Marzoli, with prolonged use of electronic touch devices in children, improper formation of muscle tissues, which are responsible for the functionality of the hands and fingers, is observed. Scientists recommend that parents replace children’s games on tablets with drawing on paper with felt-tip pens and pencils, which will lead to a more correct development of the child’s health.

According to the chiropractor Margaret Bryce from Auckland (New Zealand), gadgets cause spinal curvature in children. She said that at the beginning of her practice, she encountered cases of corrections of the cervical spine in people who were forced to spend a long time with their heads down: previously these were seamstresses and office workers, but now problems have begun to appear in children.

"Previously, it was believed that they only sat with their heads down during school", - added the chiropractor, - “now they do it all the time”.