Experts Warn Parents On Dangers Of Kids Becoming Addicted To Tablets

Dese babies be actin’ up… and y’all mamas be lettin’ ’em! Experts are now warning parents about the dangers of relying on electronic devices when keeping kids preoccupied.

Via NYDailyNews reports:

Let the iPad babysit your children and they could end up addicted before they even hit elementary school, experts warn.

In Britain, a 4-year-old girl was recently identified as the nation’s youngest-known tablet addict. After her parents handed her the device at age 3, she began using it up to four hours a day.

The toddler, from southeast England, is in outpatient treatment for her compulsion at London’s Capio Nightingale Clinic.

“The child’s mother called me and described her symptoms,” psychiatrist Dr. Richard Graham told The Sunday Mirror. “She told me she had developed an obsession with the device and would ask for it constantly. She would become very distressed and inconsolable when it was taken away.

“In the year running up to contacting the clinic, the parents noticed her use of the iPad was escalating. She was using it three to four hours every day and showed increased agitation if it was removed.”

Becoming aggressive or even violent when their devices are taken away is not uncommon for young technology addicts, experts told the Daily News.

The 4-year-old girl may be his youngest patient, but there are likely many more compulsive technology users in her age group, Graham said, adding that it is up to parents to set limits for their children’s Internet and gaming usage.

“Sometimes I think advice on Internet use should be part of antenatal classes,” he told the Mirror.

“Don’t leave your iPad around because if you do, and children see all the pretty colors they will want to use it too.

“It’s difficult, because having a device can also be very useful in terms of having a reward, having a pacifier. But if you don’t get the balance right it can be very dangerous.”

Keep it real, we all know a kid that acts just like this! Parents, be careful, and make sure to stay involved in your kids play time and make sure they do some good old fashion stuff too, not just dealing with expensive and potentially dangerous technology.

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