The Digital Debate: Should Young Children Use Reading Apps?

Photo by Petras Gagilas

This story was originally published on December 7, 2014 at the Stony Brook Independent. 

Before most toddlers can turn a page, their little fingers can already navigate the touchscreen of an iPad, which leaves experts wondering: Are literacy apps actually effective?

Though research has shown that 49 percent of middle-income parents have downloaded educational apps for their children, the use of these apps on mobile devices has tripled for children under two since 2011. There is little research to show what kind of effects these apps are having on learning and literacy.

“You have to always prioritize because time is ticking and that’s when their neurology is forming,” said Frances Judd, a former developer of educational apps for children at Mrs. Judd’s Games. She added that she urges parents to consider, “What’s important during those early years?”

Experts can’t pinpoint an exact time in a child’s life when literacy begins, but they can agree that the first three years of a child’s life are the most important for their development of language and reading skills.

“The motivation for reading and writing comes from a desire to communicate,” Dona Matthews, who holds a doctorate in developmental psychology, said.