Screen time inhibits toddler development, study finds

In news that will surprise few but still alarm many, a study has found that kids 2-5 years old who engage in more screen time received worse scores in developmental screening tests. The apparent explanation is simple: when a kid is in front of a screen, they’re not talking, walking, or playing, the activities by which basic skills are cultivated.

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I started baking bread to spend less time on the internet. It backfired.

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In October, I cracked.

I didn’t tell anyone that I’d reached a breaking point in my relationship with screens, and I didn’t try to use any of the many tools or tricks to cut back. Instead, I decided to pick up a new hobby, one that I foolishly thought would not involve the internet. After all, what could be more off-the-grid than learning the age-old art of baking bread?

I know, I know. Another tech-obsessed millennial ruining sourdough bread

I had the best intentions with my new hobby, but it was just easier to get started with an assist from the internet. I researched how to make my own starter  — the base of real sourdough bread — by turning to Google. After reading a dozen articles and watching some YouTube tutorials, I thought I had the basics down.  Read more…

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Screen time might not be so harmful or toxic for kids, experts say

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Leading UK paediatricians have advised parents to worry less about the effects of screen time on their children. 

A new guidance published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) — a professional body in charge of the training of paediatricians — contests research suggesting that children’s screen time is harmful. 

“The evidence base for a direct ‘toxic’ effect of screen time is contested, and the evidence of harm is often overstated,” reads the guidance. “The majority of the literature that does exist looks only at television screen time.” Read more…

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We finally started taking screen time seriously in 2018

At the beginning of this year, I was using my iPhone to browse new titles on Amazon when I saw the cover of “How to Break Up With Your Phone” by Catherine Price. I downloaded it on Kindle because I genuinely wanted to reduce my smartphone use, but also because I thought it would be […]

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Apple puts third-party screen time apps on notice

A number of app developers building third-party screen time trackers and parental control applications are worried that Apple’s increased scrutiny of their apps in recent weeks is not a coincidence. With Apple’s launch of iOS 12, the company has implemented its own built-in screen time tracking tools and controls. Not long after, developers’ third-party screen […]

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Looking after a Tamagotchi for a week made me realise how I really feel about technology

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It’s 2018, and what we all really want — and need, for that matter — is to be weaned off our screens. We’re desperate to regain control of our attention span and free ourselves from the number one time thief and stress factor of modern life. 

Digital wellness, as it’s been dubbed, is all about being mindful with our use of apps, limiting notifications and disturbances on our phones. It’s about “time well spent” as Zuckerberg would say. We’re asking our apps and devices to loosen their grip on us and save us from ourselves.

Not me, though. I’ve gone in the complete opposite direction and got myself a small, noise-making device with no other purpose in life than to claim – or rather, demand – my time with incessant beeping. That’s right; I got a Tamagotchi.  Read more…

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Setting digital boundaries for your kids doesn’t have to be a headache — Optimize That

Parenting in the digital age can be unnerving. Using parental-control apps or device settings can help create digital boundaries for kids. Read more…More about Mashable Video, Internet Safety, Parenting Family, Parenting With Technology, and Screen …

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4 toys to give kids a head start in STEM without screen time

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Welcome to Small Humans, an ongoing series at Mashable that looks at how to take care of – and deal with – the kids in your life. Because Dr. Spock is nice and all, but it’s 2018 and we have the entire internet to contend with.


Buzzwords like “STEM” and “STEAM” are everywhere these days. When it comes to educating young minds, learning these skills — science, technology, engineering, art, and math — can help prepare budding minds for the future workforce. More specifically, coding is an increasingly popular skill needed in today’s society

“Often children don’t know any scientists or engineers personally, depending on the family,” says Roger Malina, professor of arts and technology at the University of Texas at Dallas. “The earlier they can get hands-on experience, the better. This helps to demystify careers they don’t have family models for.” Read more…

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Apple is perfecting the iPhone right when we’re questioning what it’s doing to us

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Someone once described the iPhone as a window into our digital lives. Apple’s job, in designing it, is to make that window as large and transparent as possible — preferably to the point where you don’t even know it’s there. The device, in other words, should simply get out of the way.

The hardware does this in numerous ways. To name just a few: A fast processor means web pages and apps launch faster, reliable wireless connections mean your AirPods “just work” when you put them in your ears, and the sophisticated touchscreen lets you use simple, natural gestures (like swiping down on a photo to “close” it) to manipulate content. Read more…

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