The Advent / Drawback of Technological Toys for 2 to 5 Year Olds

Recently many toy companies have put more cell phones, computers and iPods on the market. And not for those who already use them, but for toddlers. Seem strange? Well that is the world we are living in now. For Christmas hundreds of thousands of real computers and cell phones have already been sold by Fisher-Price, Toys "R" Us and Mattell. And these are all marketed to toddlers 2-5 ear olds.

The said viable reasoning is that babies and toddlers are fed up with fake technology like play phones and computers, they want the real thing. They just won't settle for less.

Has the world gone mad? You might think so. It used to be that if children wanted something their parents had, the parents would just say "No" and go about their business. The parents would decide that these things were not needed for younger people, they had no use for them except to run up a telephone bill. Education, instead of leisure, was more important. Teaching your child values, and I mean literally teaching them moral values, was more important than leasing them at Christmas. Now it's completely the opposite.

The commercialization of Christmas has a lot to do with it but it's also advertising in general. There are so many commercials floating around with sassy teenagers who are bored unless they get the new iPod, iPhone, digital camera or computer and these kids are 10, 8, and 5 years old! There's a commercial in which a 10 year old girl is on her cell phone in her bedroom talking to her friend. She expresses how much she dislikes her parents. She talks trash about them and just as she about to tell her friend that her "parents are such . . .", she sees her parents arrive at home with dozens of gifts from a store that sells things live TVs, cameras, phones and computers. But in her lavish room, she already has all these things. Does she need more, and why is that more important than the teddy bears parents used to give their 10 year old daughters for Christmas?

What does this say about our world? A parent who works hard for their money and who worked hard to get where they are just gives in to a non-working teen or pre-teen or preschooler just because they ask for it. Having money to spend is one thing, and even teaching moral values is another. But the real question is will these preschoolers learn what fresh air and exercise can do or will they at ten years look at outside and see how boring it is as opposed to the exciting world of the internet which their parents don't even monitor anymore?

Today parents feel pressure from their children. And the children feel that elusive peer pressure we all talk about from their friends who have all these things. But it's a cycle the parents can stop by saying no to a 2 year old, something that it seems many parents seem to scared to do these days. Back in the 80's all it took was a slinky or a small plastic ball to mesmerize a group of toddlers for a couple of hours. Now there has to be explosions and even those are getting old for five year olds. Many parents make the argument of "Well, my 3 year olds' computer is actually teaching them while they play". Well, why send them to school then? If a computer can teach them 1+1 why pay a teacher? Because teachers teach more than skill. Being in school with family and spending time outside is about interacting with other people, learning how to get along in society, and just getting the fresh air and exercise the body needs. Some may say that this technological world is moving so fast that having the technology at a young age is the only way to have your child get along in society. Well, think of yourself. If you grew up without a computer at 2 years old, have a job and are just fine, maybe your child will be too.

No one really needs an ice machine, or a microwave but we understand that these are necessities in the fast-paced society that we live in. But you wouldn't let your 2 year old run the washing machine just she can learn how to earlier and you wouldn't let them use the microwave either (and if you do, stop it). Just because we have the technology doesn't mean everyone should use it no matter how young they are. As a society we should recognize that our responsibility is decide on how best to protect and teach our children. Face to face or interface to interface.