Clever Currents

Video Games and Violence

After the Virginia Tech tragedy in April, a debate erupted about whether video games influenced the killer. I won't rehash that here – let's just say there are two sides to every story. But as a parent, you should know there is evidence that playing violent video games leads to aggressive behavior in children. Recent studies led by Iowa State University's Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Dr. Craig Anderson, show that playing a lot of violent video games is related to having more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Furthermore, playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers. When parents limited their children's exposure to violent video games, these behaviors were reduced.



The Blue Lake take on it:
Read the full article on this study published by the American Psychology Association. It's hard to keep video games out of your child's life – remember there are lots of non-violent choices like Tetris, virtual pets and sports games.

Marketing the Baby Genius

Last year, Harvard psychologist Susan Linn filed a complaint with the federal trade commission, arguing that advertisements for so-called "baby-genius" videos in the US are false and deceptive because there is no evidence watching them helps babies learn. "The bind is that parents in this country are under terrible stress, so the idea that these videos might be educational is helpful for them, because it makes it OK to put babies in front of screens," said Ms Linn, co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. "These companies have been doing a really good job of convincing parents these videos are education - but there's no evidence that television is beneficial, and some evidence that it may be harmful." 



The Blue Lake take on it:
Look beyond the marketing. If you choose to have your baby watch videos, we recommend disciplined moderation. It's important to monitor what your kids watch and to avoid a daily ritual or "video as reward" system. As kids grow older, video fare aimed at them becomes more commercial. That's the focus of The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and their website is worth reviewing. Richard Hill, a reporter from our hometown paper The Oregonian, has just covered the latest studies.

Can a 3-year old take good pictures? With digital cameras – yes!

On my way to visit my sister's family the other day I saw a tiny digital camera for $10 at Walgreen's. There were two left, and I bought them for my niece (8) and nephew (7). I bought a different toy for my younger nephew (2½). It wasn't a big shock the younger boy wanted to have what his older siblings had, but when, out of guilt, I fished my own Canon Powershot out of my bag and handed it over, I saw the real impact of digital cameras. The two-year old figured it out in 30 seconds, and then happily snapped and viewed pictures "I got you Daddy!" With film cameras, a young child really can't understand what they are doing. With digital cameras that have viewing screens, they can. And they use their imaginations and find new confidence in their skills.



The Blue Lake take on it:
Kids, creativity and confidence – we love the combination. The problem is that the first generation of kids digital cameras does not include the ideal product. A rugged version with an LCD viewing screen for about $20 would be great, but we will have to wait. In the meantime, if someone is pressing you to buy an expensive toy for your child, send them this link to Kid's Digital Camera Review. And you can see what the pros at Adobe have to say about kids and cameras.