[trealira]

Not a parent, but I think this may be still substantial.

I was given a tablet when I was around 12 years old, and a mobile phone around 14 or 15 years old. I had no internet restrictions, and no time limits. As a kid, I had used the family desktop computer sometimes, and used a Nintendo DS sometimes, but it really wasn't the same.

Even being given access at such a late age compared to toddlers with iPads, I still think it killed my attention span and willpower to resist short-term temptation. I wasted a lot of time browsing stuff on social media and YouTube, and I'm still dealing with it today.

I think, regardless of what age you let your kids use it, you'll have to communicate to them somehow the importance of responsible usage. It's like alcohol, I think.

[PakG1]

It's not just you. There's now a lot of data that provides evidence for the link between screen usage and lack of focus. It's why my wife and I are so extreme in not letting our kid see screens. Your parents probably unfortunately had you at a time when you would be Patient Zero and nobody could know what the effects would be. But now we know. :(