Children under the age of nine should not have contact with computers, at least in the opinion of a reputable psychologist who is stirring controversy in Her Majestyâs land.
Aric Sigman says that early exposure to the PC screen, as well as the TV, in schools and kindergartens is threatening the development of the younger generations, preventing them from having a correct perception of the real world first.
Criticizing the British Governmentâs commitment to «technological education» from the first years of age â more precisely from the age of 22 months -, the researcher explains that a childâs brain needs to undergo experiments in three real dimensions first. «Children need to grab, feel, touch, taste and move real things to educate their neurological and cognitive infrastructure with a basic understanding of the real world.»
While admitting that new technologies can be a powerful tool, Aric Sigman argues that they should only be introduced and used at older ages, ideally from the age of nine, or they can subvert the development of cognitive abilities and curiosity that they should encourage and improve.
«We have been pressured to believe that children should start âtinkeringâ with technologies early, otherwise they âget left behindâ. The risk of âgetting left behindâ may happen not from starting on technologies too late, but from starting too soon «, warns the psychologist.
Sigman therefore defends the revision of the educational policy, stating that stimulating a child through audiovisual sensations is not the same thing as educating. It therefore calls for the creation of a technology-free «area». «This will allow children to develop their thinking and social skills without the distortion that can occur through the premature use of ICT».
