Smartphones Can Be Much More Than Digital Babysitters

What we Know About Cell Phone Usage

Recent studies have shown that Americans are now spending more time on their cell phones than watching television.  As illustrated below, the average time Americans are spending on their cell phones each day has increased almost 1.5 hours to 3:54 hours per day since 2014. Time spent on mobile devices surpassed time spent watching television in 2018 (eMarketer).

Although it wasn’t specifically addressed in the graph above, one group that is spending more time on mobile devices is babies. With this statistic, one must ponder if parents are moving away from televisions and toward cell phones and iPads as a way to reward or occupy children.  Although many old school parents may scowl at parents using electronics to “babysit” children, some marketers have actually capitalized on this information by promoting apps that will stimulate growth and intelligence with age-specific apps for education or to help render sleep.  The even better news is that some of these apps are free, or, if a parent wants to avoid the ads, he or she can simply pay a small fee of $0.99 to buy the app.

Apps That Foster Development

There are several apps that can actually help develop motor skills, speech, and even, social interaction.  For instance, there is an Android app called “Baby Puzzles,” which lays out different puzzle pieces (animals, letters, colors) for a baby to match up. Puzzles assist small children with concentration, shape recognition, and eventually a sense of accomplishment  (Baby Puzzles - Learn alphabet).

Another interesting baby app is “First Words” (First Words for Baby). “First Words” not only tutors a young mind with the phonetic pronunciation of a word, but also connects that word to a colorful visualization of that word. Gone are the days of See n’ Say pull toy that only taught a child twelve barnyard animals.  “First Words” can help teach a very young mind approximately 150 words -- thereby taking “the cow says: moo” to a whole new level.

What Does This Mean in a Marketing Sense?

Once these babies can talk (coherently), marketers can tailor their efforts toward them. Bright, colorful images and videos of an app may attract a baby’s attention, just as it would for anyone (Nahai). Then, the baby may pester his or her parents to buy the app (assuming it’s not free). The parent may stand his or her ground for a while, but will eventually give in.

Is Screen Time Bad for Babies?

Apps like these raise a (fair) question: is screen time harmful for babies? The answer is murky, but most can agree on one point: apps like those seen above can be beneficial in moderation. Babies need to be active for at least three hours per day, so these apps can compliment a baby’s growth when used moderately (Psychcentral). Too much time, however, can hurt growth (although, the long-term effects of excessive screen time in babies are relatively unknown).

This, then, raises another fair question. How much time is too much time? Most doctors suggest gradually working smartphones into the lives of your children. As average daily screen time goes up across the U.S., it will likely go up for babies as well. So, although smartphones can be a great tool to help develop young children, they can also be a harmful, addictive behavior for babies. Like most things, moderation is key.

Sources:

He, Amy. “US Adults Are Spending More Time on Mobile Than They Do Watching TV.” EMarketer, EMarketer, 4 June 2019, www.emarketer.com/content/average-us-time-spent-with-mobile-in-2019-has-increased.

Nahai, Nathalie. Webs of Influence: the Psychology of Online Persuasion: the Secret Strategies That Make Us Click. Pearson, 2017.

Williams, Amy. “How Do Smartphones Affect Childhood Psychology?” Psych Central, 8 Oct. 2018, psychcentral.com/lib/how-do-smartphones-affect-childhood-psychology/.