Hey, Parents. What That IPad Is Doing to Your Kid Is Kind of Shocking. “ADHD is 10 times more common today than it was 20 years ago,” Dimitri Christakis, a George Adkins Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, said. “Although it is clear that ADHD has a genetic basis, given that our genes have not changed appreciably in that timeframe, it is likely that there are environmental factors that are contributing to this rise.” In other words, while the disorder tends to run in families, gadgets may also play a role in the condition. Part of the problem is the fragmented, action-packed nature of electronic media. Christakis found that fast-paced TV shows increased the risk of attention issues. And when the children adapt to those speeds, they struggle to pay attention in the slower pace of life because it’s less stimulating and rewarding. When Josh puts down his iPad, his brain finds the real-world underwhelming compared to his virtual realms. Take a closer look at his beloved Minecraft: the game operates on its own day and night schedule, so he experiences three days’ worth of action within one hour. When he goes back to life, he literally feels a drag, like the feeling we get from stepping off a movable walkway at the airport. Christakis, though, concedes the science is still emerging. “If I thought I knew the answer definitively, as to what was causing ADHD,” he said, “I wouldn’t still be doing research.”
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 02:47:56 +0000
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