by As the tween “Sephora kid” epidemic makes headlines, parenting, or the lack of it, has become a larger cultural discourse. Although parents have been making questionable social decisions since the birth of their first child, these choices have not always come with people on the internet judging their every move.
Various interpretations of the phrase “I’m not raising my child like that” have plagued the internet since Sephoragate. These comments tend to come from parents who are not yet available and young people who criticize the parenting decisions of older generations. As Gen Z becomes parents, they’re planning to bring in things that millennial and Gen X parents have been leading – one of the biggest ones not raising an “iPad baby”.
The term itself refers to a generation of children born into the smartphone boom, growing up dependent on technology such as touch screens and constant access to the internet. Although previously a clearly defined term for children who were given devices in social situations, iPad kids are shifting from parenting to scientific discourse.
In a study published in 2015 in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), researchers recruited 350 children between the ages of six months and four years, and looked at how much exposure they had to mobile devices. About 97 percent of the sample used technology such as smartphones and tablets, and most used them before turning one.
Researchers believe that technology such as tablets and smartphones can have extremely harmful effects on children’s mental health.
Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images
The biggest concern was that children were being used. According to the study, around 75 percent of children under the age of four had their own devices. By age two, the authors wrote that they “spent comparable screen time” and were using devices daily. Some researchers have begun to wonder if children may be at risk of screen addiction.
“Screens or watching TV has more to do with releasing dopamine and serotonin in your brain, it relaxes them. In excessive amounts, children may feel addicted,” Salima Kerai, Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia studying childhood and behavior and different stages of development were not involved in the AAP study, The Daily Beast said.
“Existing data suggest that viewing passive screen time in particular is associated with less robust developmental milestone achievements,” said Marc Potenza, the Steven Southwick Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and who was not involved with the study, to the Daily Beast. “Especially for early development, infancy, it’s best for babies not to have visual screens.”
The issue has been growing for years. In a 2020 study by the Pew Research Center on parenting and technology, researchers found that about 61 percent of parents of children age 11 or younger received advice or information about screen time from a doctor or other medical professional. The same study also showed different parents’ reactions to tablets compared to mobile devices with 65 percent of parents saying it was acceptable for a child to have a tablet computer before the age of 12 – hence the Gen Alpha “iPad kid” label.
The Luddite Generation
For Gen Z who will soon adopt the retelling of parenthood, the goal is to move away from the iPad trope – especially given the overwhelming negative evidence.
“The generation before me is too lenient with their kids’ screen time because it’s used in a careless way,” Ira Jade, 17, from New York, told the Daily Beast. “Technology is a useful tool but parents are using it as babysitters for excessive periods of time every day.”
“What’s going on right now is like parents letting their kids, who don’t know how to swim, in a pool without any help, watching them drown, and then telling them to fight water,” Zion Weeks , a 21-year-old from Delaware, said The Daily Beast.
These conversations go beyond criticism of older generations. Gen Z is slowly transitioning away from the technology they were introduced to growing up. A 2023 report from digital marketing site Squarespace surveyed 4000 people, and found that more than 70 percent of Gen Z wanted to disconnect from their phones. In 2023, the “dumb phone” movement fueled by Gen Z has increased sales of flip phones, as the generation seeks to reduce screen times and return to the early days of connectivity, one without social media. These “less smartphones” are part of the larger digital detox movement among Gen Z.
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At the beginning of the Pandemic in 2020, Gen-Zer Emma Lembke launched The LOG OFF Movement, which aimed to give teenagers control over their social media use at the hands of Big Tech. Organizations like LOG off are now working to “Empower Youth to tackle the complexities of social media and its impact on the younger generation.”
When it comes to parenting, some Gen Zs have created parameters they intend to set for their kids.
A 2023 Everyday Health Group Pregnancy & Parenting study found that Gen Z moms placed more emphasis on ensuring children’s technology-free time than their Millennial counterparts. With 50 percent of Gen Z moms valuing unplugged time for their children, compared to 41 percent of Millennial moms valuing the same.
The same study found that 56 percent of Gen Z said they agree with setting screen time limits, compared to 50 percent of Millennials.
Jade explains how the appropriate age to give her child internet access would be around six or seven, even then choosing a computer with website restrictions that would have learning or child safe entertainment. “A handheld device like an iPad or a phone shouldn’t be brought to the teenage stages, maybe 15 and older,” she says.
Although answers vary from parent to parent, age restrictions are the main ways the generation plans to regulate screen time.
Weeks shares how he plans to teach his children media literacy before introducing them to devices. His biggest concern is making sure his children know how to exercise self-discipline, avoid dangers, and not be reckless on the internet. Weeks would not give their children an iPad or iPhone until 13.
Then there are the rising health concerns. “These devices give you immediate and unlimited dopamine hits. A lot of kids will be addicted to their phones at a young age,” Kevin C, a 22-year-old from Texas, told the Daily Beast. “I think kids should be bored sometimes. Boredom can be a good thing because it motivates you to seek your entertainment.”
Zion Weeks plans to teach her children media literacy before introducing them to devices.
Courtesy of Zion Weeks
No Ideology iPad
Of course, it might be easy to talk about these restrictions in theory for Gen Zers who don’t have kids yet, but even those who have just entered parenthood talk about what they’re already doing for long-term access on removing screens for their children.
Theresa Campbell, 24, of Arkansas, told The Daily Beast that this means practicing the “no iPad baby” ideology as she and her husband raise their 1-year-old son Joseph, who his name has been changed to protect his privacy.
“My son Joseph listens to a Spotify playlist we made of children’s songs,” Campbell explained. “He doesn’t have his gear.”
Campbell restricted her son’s use of devices during social gatherings. Explaining how Joseph is not allowed to use handheld devices at dinner. Adults and other children also facilitate this type of parenting, which helps keep their children engaged. “He doesn’t need an iPad to distract him,” she says.
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However, this type of parenting is not the easiest, especially in a social landscape where more and more handheld devices are becoming the norm for toddlers. For Campbell and her husband, this means deliberately doing activities at home or at friends’ houses rather than going out because their son can’t sit still for long periods of time. She explains how he will want to run around and be active without a screen, which is not viable in a restaurant.
Sometimes this means setting an example. “My husband and I could do better not to use our devices around Joseph. Although its access is limited, it is very interested in what we do on our phones and computers. We don’t always set the best example by limiting our use,” she explains.
For Gen Z, challenging the digital age of parenting means unplugging for the sake of their children, and it’s a trade-off they’re willing to make if it means maintaining their digital independence. Screen time and device restrictions are another way Gen Zers hope to control their children’s well-being, at a time when Big Tech and media corporations control every minute spent online.
For them, it is an act of disobedience but also a duty. As Kevin says, “It’s easy to make fun of the iPad kid, but a lot of it is learned behavior. As adults, we have a greater responsibility to do something about it. “
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