A Parent's Struggle With a Child's iPad Addiction
David Pogue FEBRUARY 24, 2011
I think my 6-year-old is addicted to the iPad.
He asks for it constantly. He wants to use it in the car. He wants to use it at every unscheduled moment at home. He brings it to the dinner table.
When I tell him it's time to shut off the iPad and head up to bed, or put his shoes on, or head out to the bus, he doesn't hear me the first three times I ask. Sometimes, he gets bizarrely upset when I say I have to take it away now - out-of-character upset. That's what makes me think he's addicted.
And trust me - having read The New York Times series on the physiological effects of electronics on young minds, I'm plenty worried.
Now, before you begin sending the volleys of "bad parent" e-mails, let me reassure you: I've described what my son wants, not what he gets. We do have policies. The rule for my three kids is: no electronics on school days except what you actually need for schoolwork. No gadgets at mealtime or bedtime. Gadgets are O.K. when you're home sick or in the car for long trips.
My older two kids manage to stick with those rules (mostly). My youngest, though, asks for that darned iPad constantly.
And I'll be straight with you: I generally enforce the rule, but sometimes it's tough. Because, let's face it: When he's on the iPad, he's happy. He's quiet. He's engaged. And in this family, the two older siblings form a tween bloc (my oldest are 13 and almost 12), and then there's a big age gap. So it can be hard to find activities, games or conversations that involve all three simultaneously.
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