Racing kids around in speeding boxes is slowing them down
by Andy Boenau
American children spend significant portions of their early developmental years staring at the interior ceilings of cars and tablet screens. It’s one of car dependency’s many negative outcomes.
73% of parents think of their cars as an extension of the family home, according to a 2023 Kelley Blue Book survey. In fact, parents will drive an average of almost 1,500 miles (halfway across the country!) before choosing a plane or train. 65% of parents spend 30+ minutes driving every day, with 12% spending more than three hours a day.
Pediatricians, developmental psychologists, and parents with common sense will tell you that varied visual stimuli are essential to healthy cognitive growth. Prolonged exposure to a static, unstimulating environment is not good brain food. And yet, 21st century kids find themselves restrained in rear-facing car seats, eyes fixed on monotonous car interiors.
This 2007 study highlights how important it is for parents and babies to be emotionally and behaviorally synced up with each other, and how this connection shapes a baby’s early development. The wonky title, Parent-infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing, is referring to how parents and babies tune in to each other through things like eye contact, facial expressions, and vocal sounds. For example, when a baby smiles and the parent smiles back right away, or when they take turns making sounds. It’s been close to 20 years since I had a kid at that stage, but I remember it well. Those lovey dovey interactions with our kids are crucial for their mental and social development.
Ok, but what if as a parent, I know that a lack of stimulation is bad so I put a tablet in front of my toddlers and smartphones in the hands of my elementary aged kids?
The American Academy of Pediatrics found that extensive early exposure to digital screens significantly correlates with delays in language, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Excessive screen time weakens their communication and social skills. AAP recommends no screen time for kids under 18 months, and no more than an hour a day for kids up to five years old. Excessive screen time harms brain development, sleep, attention, and behavior, and increases obesity risk by reducing active play.
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