Smart Devices: How Young is Too Young?

With the holiday season quickly approaching, I imagine the wish list for many children, adolescents and adults alike is comprised of the breakthrough technological goodies such as the recently released list of iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and new Amazon Kindle Fire that have created a media firestorm. I also imagine that the age of the children and adolescents with these devices on their wish list for Santa has become increasingly younger and younger over the years. Undoubtedly, these products are revolutionary and provide everything we could possibly want at our very fingertips, but how young is too young for these outlandish purchases?

For years I have been mesmerized by the young children I see with smart phones in-hand (I’m talking ages fourteen and under) asking myself, “Is that phone really necessary at that age?” I do acknowledge the fact that over half of parents believe that a smart phone is only necessary once their child drives, which I can understand a little bit more than a ten year old with access to the Internet. Perhaps I am seeing this subject with a touch of bitterness, based on the fact that I JUST received my first smart phone at the age of 23, after patiently waiting many years for my first real job to justify the price and necessity. But at the same time, I can’t help but wonder how these technologies and access to all-media will affect our younger generations. So I ask you: How do you think it will or has affected these children today and in the future?

One Comment

  1. Audrey says:

    I have thought about the same question as you did, my cousin could playing his ipad all day long without speaking to anybody else…My uncle started to worry that his son really need to go out to have fun with his friends who were human beings…

    P.S. I am still waiting for my first smart phone, although my age is turning into 26….

    haha

Comments are closed.