AIRLINK 196.50 Increased By ▲ 2.94 (1.52%)
BOP 10.25 Increased By ▲ 0.30 (3.02%)
CNERGY 7.88 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.63%)
FCCL 39.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.85 (-2.09%)
FFL 17.09 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (1.36%)
FLYNG 27.12 Decreased By ▼ -0.63 (-2.27%)
HUBC 133.95 Increased By ▲ 1.37 (1.03%)
HUMNL 14.10 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (1.51%)
KEL 4.78 Increased By ▲ 0.18 (3.91%)
KOSM 6.64 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.3%)
MLCF 47.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.42 (-0.88%)
OGDC 214.79 Increased By ▲ 0.88 (0.41%)
PACE 6.96 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.43%)
PAEL 42.00 Increased By ▲ 0.76 (1.84%)
PIAHCLA 17.15 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
PIBTL 8.50 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (1.07%)
POWER 9.60 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.41%)
PPL 183.96 Increased By ▲ 1.61 (0.88%)
PRL 42.90 Increased By ▲ 0.94 (2.24%)
PTC 25.15 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (1%)
SEARL 109.80 Increased By ▲ 2.96 (2.77%)
SILK 1.00 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (1.01%)
SSGC 44.11 Increased By ▲ 4.01 (10%)
SYM 17.86 Increased By ▲ 0.39 (2.23%)
TELE 8.96 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (1.36%)
TPLP 13.06 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (2.43%)
TRG 67.60 Increased By ▲ 0.65 (0.97%)
WAVESAPP 11.68 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (3.09%)
WTL 1.83 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (2.23%)
YOUW 3.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-2.46%)
BR100 12,249 Increased By 204.5 (1.7%)
BR30 36,933 Increased By 352.6 (0.96%)
KSE100 115,663 Increased By 1625.1 (1.43%)
KSE30 36,398 Increased By 603.9 (1.69%)

The children's section at the giant Consumer Electronics Show this week touted "innovations that enable 21st century kids to learn and play smarter than ever." The timing may have been unfortunate following revived concerns of the dangers of too much technology for young children.
But as the debate swirled, exhibitors at the Las Vegas extravaganza sought to showcase devices aimed at health, education and entertainment for youngsters, including educational robots. Pai Technology introduced its interactive storybooks for children, which use virtual reality and according to its website "encourages a love of reading" and offers "thoughtful stories."
Amy Braun, marketing director for the group, acknowledged concerns about kids and technology but said these devices still have value. Braun said parents must decide on appropriate limits for screen exposure and other technology usage.
Chinese startup Dragon Touch unveiled its colorful tablet computer aimed at kids between three and six years old, with educational apps and parental controls. Dragon Touch's Lei Guo said the tablets may be valuable but also suggested parents supervise their use. "I really don't want my kids to spend too much time on the internet," he said.
"So that's why we also have the parent control mode, so that the parents can set a time, for example maybe 30 minutes per day." An augmented reality toothbrush meanwhile introduced by French startup Kolibree allows children to look at a smartphone or tablet screen to motivate and educate them about oral hygiene. "With image analysis, the application detects the brushing motion," Kolibree's Leonie Williamson. The device makes brushing a game, enabling kids to earn points by holding and using the toothbrush correctly.
Williamson said the toothbrush would not be a big contributor to too much screen time for kids: "It's just three brushings of two minutes each day." The electronics show has long featured devices for children, and exhibitors typically plan their displays and products many months in advance.
But the show opened just amid fresh fears that too much technology may be harmful for children. In the United States, the nonprofit group Common Sense Media found 95 percent of US households have a mobile device in the home. Screen time has been shifting, the group said, from television to mobile devices.
Earlier this week, two large shareholders urged Apple to study whether iPhones are proving addictive for children and if intensive use of the smartphones may be bad for their mental health. The investors cited a recent study suggesting children are negatively distracted by digital technologies in the classroom. Apple, which is not present at CES but whose system is used by many app developers, said in a statement it "has always looked out for kids, and we work hard to create powerful products that inspire, entertain, and educate children while also helping parents protect them online."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2018

Comments

Comments are closed.