Saudi Gazette In this era of technology children desire to have “digital” toys. Gone are the days when they would play ball with their siblings or friends in the park. With the advent of sleek, portable gadgets, which have namely everything one can imagine, is possessed by almost every child in the form of I-pods, I-pads, tablets, PSP and so on. Although there is nothing wrong in parents buying the latest gizmos for their children, they should, however, check the specification of the devices to see if they are suitable for their age and can be used by them without a hassle. Even then, on regular basis, they should be monitored by parents to see if they are being used safely. A father and a school teacher, Fahd Al-Shareef, took his son's I-pod to a shop to get it fixed. Little did he know that his son had taken pictures of his wife and other female relatives at home. The technician while going through the device, soon noticed that there were private pictures in it. He immediately informed Fahd and asked him to delete the pictures by himself before he continues to work on it. Al-Shareef was fortunate enough to get in touch with an honest technician, but such scenarios are very rare. “I was totally shocked when I saw the pictures. I bought my son the I-pod thinking that it only contained fun electronic games and I was unaware that it even had a camera. After this incident I started explaining to my son that he must not use the camera inside the home or anyone else's house either,” said Al-Shareef. After immense pleading from her son, Amani Al-Harthy finally gave in and bought her son an I-pod. She too had mistakenly thought that it was only an entertaining gaming gadget and had no idea that it had a camera, too in it. Al-Harthy said, “Out of love for our children, we rarely decline their wishes and buy them games, toys, and gadgets to make them happy. Once I was clicking on my son's I-pod screen, to my surprise and dismay, I found pictures of myself without hijab and my friends and guests who had visited me. I instantly deleted all the pictures and explained to my son the ethics and rules of using a camera. The danger with these devices is that the camera on them is very small and no flash or sound is emitted when a picture is taken, so none even suspects when pictures are taken. It is up to the parents to learn about these devices before purchasing them and to warn their children about using the camera.” Turki Al-Otaibi, another concerned parent believes that the camera on such devices should be closely checked by parents along with the games. “It is the responsibility of the parents to fully understand the electronic gadget before buying it for their children. The camera in most devices can be immobilized, which is better if the device is to be used by young children who are not mature enough to understand the risks of taking private family pictures. In addition, some of the games on these devices promote violence, stealing, and cheating. In one game, the hero is a thief and the player has to come up with ways to help the thief escape the police. Over time and extended use, I believe that these types of games have negative influences on children's behavior.” A social worker at King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif, Nabeel Al-Harthy, advises parents to allow limited use of these technologies by young children. “Parental supervision and control should not be equated with deprivation. You cannot forbid your child from all games and devices that he/she asks for. Feelings of deprivation in children may lead to frustration and the false conception that they are not loved. Instead, you can educate your children on the pros and cons of these electronic devices. Rather than removing the camera from the device, parents should teach their children that they must seek permission from the person they want to photograph. Parents can also instruct children to take pictures of nature or their baby brother/sister only. Some children have a true gift and talent in photography and removing the camera may stunt their creativity. Or even worse, children will learn to lie and do things behind their parents' backs,” said Al-Harthy. Who can disagree with the famous saying that technology is a double edged sword? It is not the technology itself that is good or bad for children, it is the way in which they use it. For example, an amazing advantage of having an I-pad is that you can download hundreds of interactive visual and audio children's books that teach children to read and actually make reading fun. A disadvantage is that children play games on the I-pad that require no thinking skills, and waste hours of their time glued to the screens instead of running and playing in the sunlight to stay fit and healthy. __
