[lossolo]

> The dilemma parents are grappling with is this: tablets and smartphones, while beneficial for children's learning and socializing

Recent reports from teachers indicate that many children are intellectually behind their peers. A concerning trend is that these children struggle to hold conversations, a problem attributed to their parents phone/social networks addiction. Rather than engaging and raising their children through conversation and interaction, these parents often resort to pacifying them with tablets or phones.

[LargeTomato]

What do you mean they struggle to hold conversations? I was an awkward kid and you could say I struggled to hold conversations but it wasn't due to an addiction to tech. I'm also socially well adjusted now, as an adult.

[steakknife]

There can be multiple reasons for the same outcome in a complex system. Prevalence of social awkwardness at certain developmental stages due to variances in individual immutable developmental schedules should remain stable over short time frames. Unless you think the researchers/teachers are incompetent enough to have not accounted for the baseline levels of social awkwardness, then the fact that some people are awkward because genetics or whatever is an irrelevant point to make.

[LargeTomato]

> Unless you think the researchers/teachers are incompetent

Well the original post said

> Recent reports from teachers indicate

I don't think teachers are incompetent but they aren't researchers.

[LorenPechtel]

Yeah. I think this is the real problem. Electronics let parents slack off on parenting but electronics do not replace socialization.