MANHATTAN (KSNT) – While handheld tablet applications might sell themselves as learning devices for children, research from Kansas State University says that children may not be learning anything from the technological devices they use.
"We're teaching children how to use a tablet, but the information that's on the tablet, the children aren't really retaining," says K-State Child Development and Research Extension Specialist Bradford Wiles.
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"So we think that we are teaching them things like their letters and numbers, but what we are really teaching them very well how to do, is use a touch screen."
That's because interaction with others is vital at a younger age, according to Wiles. And things like tablets, phones, and other technological devices are distracting children from playing with other kids and their parents.
"Children learn from adults through play and through reading and shared activities, and so anything that you do that isolates them, that's a detriment."
Technology is becoming more integrated in classrooms and daycares. Not just for preschoolers, but higher grades as well.