The Effect of Mobile Devices on Young Learners

Children Interacting With Tablet Technology. [Photography]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. 
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Are mobile devices helpful or detrimental for young children? 

This is a hot topic right now for multiple reasons. Firstly, we all care about our children and want to do what's best for them. Secondly, mobile devices are definitely biased towards receiving good reviews (and profit) for their 'educational' apps; while many parents & professionals unsure of the effects these devices have on their kids can all-too-soon deny any benefits the devices may produce. Thirdly, "research regarding the impact of this portable and instantly accessible source of screen time on learning, behavior, and family dynamics has lagged considerably behind its rate of adoption" (Radesky, Schumacher & Zuckerman, 2015). In other words, there is not sufficient research from this new technology to confidently state the positive and/or negative effects mobile devices on young learners.

I recently read two seemingly opposing articles on this topic:

1. Researchers: Using an iPad or smartphone can harm a toddler’s learning and social skills
2. No, research does not say that ‘iPads and smartphones may damage toddlers’ brains’

Here is a summary of the first article (from The Washington Post): 
Mobile devices are becoming more commonly used by young children, which begs the question of whether or not this is a good thing for healthy development. Current information from the journal Pediatrics, shows that although there is little research that has been done related to this topic, there are indeed some negative effects, as well as some positive, that mobile devices can have on the development of children. Mobile devices cannot replace (and may even impede) the skills children develop through real life activities like face-to-face interaction and unstructured playtime.

Here is a summary of the second article (from The Guardian):
The above article is an unprofessional, exaggerated account of the Pediatric journal's information. The Pediatric journal in fact is quite neutral, showing some positive and negative effects mobile devices can have on children, but emphasizing the lack of research to make any conclusive statements on the topic. The above article is just the tip of the iceberg of the kind of "scaremongering" that journalists do with information. There are multiple professional sources that say the opposite as the above article. And finally, more research needs to be done in this area so that opinions can be replaced with research data.

After reading these two articles, I made sure to go to the source of their conflict and read the Pediatric journal site myself. It was quite neutral, stating the little amount of research data that has been conducted, and what can result from certain uses and amounts of mobile devices - positive and negative. The author takes a mostly unbiased perspective, but in conclusion has some recommendations to help families avoid the possible negative effects of their children's use of mobile devices.

Both of the above articles were correct, and used the same primary source, but just had different slants. The first one appeared to be more biased and emphasized the negative effects of mobile devices with children, which could be clearly understood from the title. The second article was more concerned about clearly and objectively articulating information from a primary source than anything else.

What I learned from reading these two articles is that a reader should never take a news article at face value without checking its sources. Titles can and are usually emotionally charged to catch the reader's eye, but can be quite biased or misleading, which I discovered from reading these articles.
The farther information strays from a primary source, the more opinionated and subjective it tends to become. 

So to answer the original question I asked at the beginning of this post - "Are mobile devices helpful or detrimental for young children?" My opinion is that a parent should use common sense, do their homework and research primary data sources on the topic, and then come up with a plan that they feel is a healthy, balanced approach that is best for their child.

Sources

Etchells, P. (2015). No, research does not say that 'iPads and smartphones may damage toddlers' brains. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/feb/02/no-research-does-not-say-that-ipads-and-smartphones-may-damage-toddlers-brains

McCoy, T. (2015). Researchers: Using an iPad or smartphone can harm a toddler's learning and social skills. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/02/using-an-ipad-or-smartphone-can-harm-a-toddlers-brain-researchers-says/

Radesky, J. S., Schumacher, J., & Zuckerman, B. (2015). Mobile and Interactive Media Use by Young Children: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown. Pediatrics, 135(1). Retrieved from

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/135/1/1