Sir, – John Devlin (April 20th) asks if parents want a happy, chatty, social child, or an insular, withdrawn and cranky child. His implication is that the use of apps leads to the insular, withdrawn and cranky child.
As a parent of two happy, chatty, social and bilingual children, I can confirm that the well-timed use of apps for toddlers (such as on long-haul flights or in busy hospital waiting rooms) can be a boon for parents in difficult moments.
I would prefer to thank The Irish Times for the article on apps to aid learning (April 14th). I think there is no suggestion that apps become any sort of babysitting service. Obviously the onus is on parents to monitor carefully the screen-time of their children but I think that there is enough pressure on parents these days. I will decide for myself if there are modern solutions to any parenting dilemmas. – Yours, etc,
SANDY DOWLING,
Brussels.