Can You Count On Children's Media In The Digital Age?

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With devices like tablets and smartphones becoming a household staple, parents are turning to children's apps to entertain their little ones. The practice has caused some controversy as scientists and doctors debate how much screen time is too much and whether or not the devices can be detrimental to children's development. Caught in the middle are children's media firms, which are working to meet the demands of busy parents with educational games and reading programs while also steering clear of being labeled as a hindrance to normal development.
Outdated Advice
In a
statement
published by the American Academy of Pediatrics this month, the organization admitted that its recommendation that parents completely avoid ‘screen time' for children under the age of 2 could be outdated. The AAP said that in its new guidelines, due to be released next year, it will take into account all of the things tablets and smartphones are used for outside of playing video content. While studies show that children benefit more from personal interaction, speaking on FaceTime to family members shouldn't be put in the same category as watching cartoons. Another consideration is the level of interaction the content provides; the more feedback a child gets the more educational purposes it serves.
Good News For Media Firms
Revised advice from the AAP could provide a boost to children's media providers like
Walt Disney CoDIS
and
Scholastic Corp
SCHL
, which both offer interactive games for children as young as toddlers. Discussions about whether or not there is any benefit to reading a traditional book to a child versus one on a tablet could bump up children's book sales on
Amazon.com Inc.AMZN
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and give parents more reason to purchase tablets from companies like
Apple Inc.AAPL
and
SamsungSSNLF
.
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