Does my child need high-tech toys?

Q: Do high-tech toys make babies smarter? My 15-month-old’s favorite toy is a stuffed bear. I’m worried that he’s not getting enough “stimulation.”

A: Don’t worry. High-tech toys, which entertain with microchip-powered songs, sounds, flashing lights and vibrations, can stimulate toddlers, but researchers say there’s no credible supporting evidence showing that they enhance cognitive development or creativity or have any long term effects.

“If it’s a new toy, then for an hour or so, toddlers are a little more alert and involved,” says Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., a research professor emeritus of psychology at Harvard University. “But you wouldn’t want to make profound predictions,” such as ‘If my toddler plays with electronic toys, he’ll be smarter.’” The typical American household already provides enough sensory stimulation to make such toys unnecessary. “We should view the toys like an ice-cream cone,” Kagan says. “It’s a brief source of pleasure that vanishes quickly.”

Children will get far more meaningful stimulation from the sounds of the people, animals, and objects around them, notes Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., an educational psychologist in Vail, CO, and author of Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence. So play with your baby often. You are your baby’s favorite toy and best learning tool. Babies crave one-on-one social interaction and need the security it provides. There’s also a role for quiet time, when the brain consolidates what it has learned. “If there’s nothing that’s entertaining, it gives the brain time and space to learn to manage itself,” Healy says.

For more information, see our reports on toys for babies and young children and toys for toddlers and preschoolers.

Comments

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[John R. Parish]

In the early seventies, there weren't too many high-tech toys available. With low-tech toys (books, trips to museums, zoos and art gallerys) my wife and I taught our 4 kids to READ. Subsequently, all 4 entered the first grade reading on a 3rd grade level.

[Elizabeth]

I agree with the main ideas in the article on hi-tech toys, and I would like to pose a question:

If we seek to provide constant external stimulation for young children, should we be surprised that so many of them are now developing ADD -- with a brain that cannot focus unless it has either chemical stimulants or external stimulation? Also, would electronic toys be any better for kids than quality TV for young kids (i.e., PBS?) It seems like about the same thing to me.

Please do not assume that I am blaming anyone for "giving" their child ADD; I am only too familiar with it from my own family. I just wonder if there is any correlation.