Tabletowe dzieci. Ile zła wyrządza małym dzieciom tablet reklamowany jako najlepsza zabawka dla twojego dziecka. Ku rozwadze dorosłym, którzy temu ulegają

Abstract

In the article, I present the findings of scientific insight into issues that I call tablet children. I provide alarming data on the number of children aged 6 months and a little bit older who are given access to tablets and smartphones by adults. I quote the most important findings included in the theory of representation by Jerome S. Bruner to explain the following: – What makes babies and toddlers use tablets and smartphones in a remarkably efficient way; – Adverse differences in representations created by children based on experiences gathered in the world of real objects and in the virtual world; – Distortions in the outlines of mental representations formed by young children when they watch images on tablet and smartphone screens too frequently. Being given access to these devices is particularly dangerous for young children, who have not yet created the outlines of the representations of three-dimensional objects and three-dimensional qualities of space in their minds. Distortions in the outlines of representations are difficult to fix as subsequent experiences only complement and expand the existing representations. Since the existing representations take part in creating new representations, the new ones are not fully correct either. I also argue the need for serious research that should aim to determine the far-reaching results of tablets and smartphones being available to babies and young children. This will help to come to terms with these devices educationally and also to determine when and for how long they can be made available to children so that they are safe for children's mental development.