4-year-old becomes youngest known iPad addict
Published: 2013 April 21 07:53:49 (5334 Views)
A girl aged four is Britain's youngest-known iPad addict.
The pre-school child is so obsessed with playing games on the tablet computer that she is having psychiatric treatment for compulsive behaviour.
Her parents enrolled her for therapy earlier this year after claiming she was inconsolable whenever it was taken away.
The case comes just days after a survey revealed that more than half of parents questioned let their babies use a smartphone or tablet, and one in seven let them use the gadgets for four or more hours every day.
Britain's tiniest iPad addict, from the South East of England, had been hooked on the device from the age of three and was using it for up to four hours a day.
She is being treated by psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham from London's Capio Nightingale Clinic, who believes there are many more addicts her age. He revealed: "The child's mother called me and described her symptoms.
Dr Graham said the parents' early action in seeking psychiatric help is not an over-reaction.
Dr Graham admits it's not unusual these days for children of four or five to form powerful compulsions towards iPads or iPhones, and says it can be worrying.
He explained: "Children have access to the internet almost from birth now. They see their parents playing on their mobile devices and they want to play too. Sometimes I think advice on internet use should be part of antenatal classes."
Tanith Carey, author of Where has My Little Girl Gone? How to Protect Your Daughter From Growing up Too Soon, said: "I think the problem is that iPads, iPods and smart phones have become the new dummies for babies and toddlers.
"They need time away from screens to experience the physical world and develop motor and communication skills.
"It's sad that children as young as four need to be weaned off this technology.
"It should also be a wake-up call for parents that what children really need is good adult role models who interact with them... instead of being too busy checking their own texts and Facebook pages."
- Mirror
The pre-school child is so obsessed with playing games on the tablet computer that she is having psychiatric treatment for compulsive behaviour.
Her parents enrolled her for therapy earlier this year after claiming she was inconsolable whenever it was taken away.
The case comes just days after a survey revealed that more than half of parents questioned let their babies use a smartphone or tablet, and one in seven let them use the gadgets for four or more hours every day.
Britain's tiniest iPad addict, from the South East of England, had been hooked on the device from the age of three and was using it for up to four hours a day.
She is being treated by psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham from London's Capio Nightingale Clinic, who believes there are many more addicts her age. He revealed: "The child's mother called me and described her symptoms.
Dr Graham said the parents' early action in seeking psychiatric help is not an over-reaction.
Dr Graham admits it's not unusual these days for children of four or five to form powerful compulsions towards iPads or iPhones, and says it can be worrying.
He explained: "Children have access to the internet almost from birth now. They see their parents playing on their mobile devices and they want to play too. Sometimes I think advice on internet use should be part of antenatal classes."
Tanith Carey, author of Where has My Little Girl Gone? How to Protect Your Daughter From Growing up Too Soon, said: "I think the problem is that iPads, iPods and smart phones have become the new dummies for babies and toddlers.
"They need time away from screens to experience the physical world and develop motor and communication skills.
"It's sad that children as young as four need to be weaned off this technology.
"It should also be a wake-up call for parents that what children really need is good adult role models who interact with them... instead of being too busy checking their own texts and Facebook pages."
- Mirror
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