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Tremendous brain growth occurs in the first 7 years of life. In first two years, more dramatic than at any other age, overall brain size doubles in the first year, reaching about 70 percent of its adult size; it reaches 85 percent of adult size by age two.
During this time your baby’s brain is busily building structural and functional connectivity, creating the essential neuro-architecture to support life and learning.
Child brain demands maximum human interactions during this growth period. (Critical first 2 years and at least first 7 years).
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When you replace quality human interactions with technology, shortchanges a young child on the time and mix of experiences the sensorium (The areas of the brain that process and register incoming sensory information and make possible the conscious awareness of the world) needs for well-rounded development. Neurologically and psychologically, the tech effect becomes a wild card in your baby’s development.
Now a dear friends argues that: But child learns from TV (Even recent TATA TV ad also give this idea). Well, learning at the cost of growth? What TV can teach, you can easily demonstrate. When you demonstrate, you actually help brain in growth.
The brain is not machine, and is designed to develop in all the areas through natural human interactions and play, and by putting kids in front of screens we are changing their brains.
Take care or live in self-denial and compromise your kid’s growth. What I presented here are crude biological facts. Opposing them will invite nothing but a self-goal 🙂.
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“Look, the brain of the child is shaped by the interactions they have with parents—that’s just absolutely clear. We need to be in the physical and relational world before we reduce it down to screens.”
—DAN SIEGEL, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST
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You already spend 8 hrs in sleep. 10 hrs at work. 2 hrs in daily chores. You left with 4 hrs. From this 4 hrs, you give 2 hrs to your entertainment dosage (TV, Internet, Mobile).
Your kid gets only 2 hrs per day. Kids are not machines that you can take care on weekends. They need continuous interactions.
