20.01.2011, 14:26 3562

More children nowadays can use computers but can't tie shoelaces

More children nowadays can use computers but can't tie shoelaces

Almaty. January 20. Kazakhstan Today - More young children know how to operate a computer mouse than ride a bike as technology tightens its grip on the nation's youth, researchers warn, Daily Mail reports.

And, while seven out of ten youngsters aged between two and five are comfortable playing on-line games, less than two in ten could swim unaided.

The figures show that the traditional milestones, which a child would expect to achieve, are being replaced by digital ones.

Parents are either too busy or too lazy to help their offspring to learn practical and physical skills - from riding a bike to tying their laces - often finding it simpler to sit them in front of a screen.

Instead of experiencing the real world, children are copying their parents by tapping away on phones or keyboards - at the expense of their social and physical well-being.

Child development expert Sue Palmer said that the figures showed we are 'cooping children up inside' more than ever.

'By encouraging them to live a virtual screen-based existence we are deadening their developmental drive and dumbing them down,' she said.

'They get used to the quick fix and the easy rewards of communicating with technology and don't learn how to invest the emotional effort that is necessary for real relationships.

'What they need is real play with real people in order to develop properly'.

According to the study, 23 per cent of children between two and five can make a call on a mobile phone and a quarter can navigate between websites with ease. One in five knew their way around smartphones or even an iPad. Two thirds knew how to turn a computer on and 73 per cent said they could work a mouse.

When it came to real-life matters, however, the picture was very different. Just 48 per cent knew their own home address and only a third were able to write their first and last names. Only 11 per cent could tie their shoe laces.

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