Downloading certain applications (apps) onto your phone is something you, as a child or as a teenager, may need to consider and think about very seriously.
Although it has many advantages of accessing various games and accessing various internet sites, it also has some disadvantages.
Therefore, parents, guardians and adults play a critical role in ensuring their children download the right app and that certain limitations should be made clear to them on when they need to access their phones or when the need arises to surf the net.
It is critical for parents to be wary and be responsible of their children’s access to these apps and the internet because they may have their effects on them later in life.
Michael Rich, MD, director of the Center on Media and Child Health, at Children’s Hospital Boston shared with www.parenting. com that software developers are creating phone apps directed at kids way too young to know their phone numbers (or what a phone number is).
Parental phone options
Below are some pros and cons of phones apps as shared by Dr Rich on parenting.com:
PRO: “If you need your kid to sit quietly for a while, giving him your phone will work,” says Dr. Rich. are some pros and cons of phones apps as shared by Dr Rich on parenting.com:
CON: Good luck getting it back. “If an important call comes in,” says Dr Rich, “that’s not a wrestling match you’re going to win”.
PRO: An app that, say, makes animal noises, is just as good for its purpose as a classic toy like See ‘n Say. “Both connect an image with the concept of a living organism and the sound it makes,” explains Dr. Rich. “But an iPhone is a lot easier to carry around in your pocket.”
CON: “Kids can get hooked into virtual- world play at a very early age,” warns Dr Rich. That can mean they may not be as interested in or skilled at imaginative real- world play later on.
PRO: Apps have the potential to be good for developing minds. “Research shows that most factual stuff we learn during the preschool period is not retained, but what is important is learning how to learn, how to arrive at answers and figure things out,” says Dr Rich. “A well-designed app can support that very much.”
CON: “Any good marketer knows that all he needs to do to sell something to a parent is to put the word ‘educational’ on it,” says Dr. Rich. Just be realistic about what you expect from your toddler’s phone-play time.
PRO: Apps are cheap, often a buck or two. Some are free.
CON: “We’re talking about two- and three- year-olds,” says Dr Rich. “And you’re handing over a machine with all your personal data, your connection to the world.” In other words: If you like it, then you better put a lock on it.
