Sixteen million children under the age of 11 are now surfing the web; some as young as two years old, according to the research company Nielson Online. But does using a computer offer an academic advantage to toddlers? The answer seems to be yes and no.

Walker is only 4 years old, but for nearly a year he’s known how to navigate a computer. “He’s got his own login now. He can type in his name. He can log on to the Internet. He’s learned pretty quickly,” says Parker Smith, Walker’s father.

According to a Nielson survey, 16 million kids age two to 11 use computers. That represents nearly 10 percent of all online users.

But can these computer skills help a child?

“Studies have shown that there are improvements in hand-eye coordination. I think interactive games and creative games can be very educational for them,” says psychologist Carol Drummond.

In fact, some experts argue that children who are exposed to computers during the pre-school years may develop school readiness skills by learning colors, shapes, letters and numbers.

But experts caution, there can be a downside. “I think the real harm is when a child gets glued to the computer alone and misses out on other opportunities,” says Dr. Drummond. She says too much computer exposure, especially without supervision, can hurt a young child’s development. “Most psychologists would agree that children 3 and younger really should be out in the world, playing in the sandbox, running around,” says Dr. Drummond.”

Experts say kids also need interaction with their parents and peers. Walker spends 30 minutes a day on the computer. This leaves plenty of time to explore the world in other ways, like playing and reading and learning sports.

“The computer definitely is not his whole life,” says Parker Smith. “It’s nice to have it there. It’s nice to know that he’s developing those skills, but we certainly don’t want him to become a geek.”

Tips for Parents
Today, more children than ever have access to computers at school, and more than 90 percent of kids have a computer at home. And according to a study by the University of California, Santa Cruz, teenagers who have access to home computers are 6 to 8 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school than teens who lack access to a home computer. But the research group Alliance for Childhood challenges the increasing emphasis on computers in early childhood and elementary schools. According to the advocacy group, concentrating on children’s cognitive development by using computers may be repressing development of other important intellectual abilities. Through their increased use of computers, today’s children are bombarded with flashy graphics far beyond reality, or edited versions of reality that don’t give them a chance to experience the real world.

According to the Alliance for Childhood:

Children seem to be finding it harder to generate their own images and ideas when exposed to ready-made electronic images.
Open-ended curiosity and creativity of children is being dampened by exposure to too many contrived, controlled versions of reality.
Computers may also undermine the sense of wonder and reverence that young children bring to their encounters with the real world.
These abilities, the Alliance asserts, are necessary to lay a solid foundation for later mastery of more advanced forms of thinking.

Additional harmful effects of computer use in children, according to The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s report on Children and Computer Technology, may include:

Obesity in children
Repetitive-strain injuries
Vision problems
Decline in social involvement
Increase in feelings of loneliness and depression in teens
Increased aggression
(from playing violent computer games)
Parents and educators are urged to recommit themselves to providing young children with the essentials of a healthy childhood. Those include:

Close, loving relationships with responsible adults
Outdoor activity, nature exploration, gardening, and other direct encounters with nature
Time for unstructured play, especially make-believe play
Music, drama, puppetry, dance, painting, and the other arts as a way to bring the full range of other academic subjects to life. Hands-on lessons, handcrafts, and other physically engaging activities
Conversation, poetry, storytelling, and books read aloud
Both the Packard Foundation and The Alliance for Childhood recommend that parents, teachers and adults working with children should limit the extent of time children spend using computers and supervise the content children are exposed to, including games, software, and the Internet.

References
The Alliance for Childhood
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation