The children have made it increasingly difficult to hold a pencil…

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Marie-Renée Grondin

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 15:38

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Wednesday, 28 February 2018 15:38

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Phones and tablets would have a negative effect on the development of dexterity, so well that more and more children would be difficult for them to correctly hold a pencil, warn many experts.

In fact, the use of touch-screens to prevent the muscles of the fingers of children is developed enough.

“Children do not come to school with the strength and the dexterity they had 10 years ago,” observes Sally Payne, occupational therapist-in-chief of the Foundation Heart of England NHS Trust.

In an interview with the Guardian, the specialist said that in order to be able to grasp a pencil and hold it properly, the children must first master some of the muscles for their fingers.

“It is easier to give an iPad to a child than to encourage him to do strength-training exercises such as manipulating building blocks or make crafts. For this reason, they do not develop the basic skills they need to seize and hold a pencil,” she said.

Karin Bishop, deputy director of the royal College of occupational therapists, has also expressed its concerns to the Guardian.

“It is undeniable that technology has changed the world in which our children grow up. Although there are many positive aspects in the use of technology, there are more and more evidence on the impact of lifestyles more sedentary and social interactions in virtual growing, children spending more time inside.”

For its part, Mellissa Prunty, another occupational therapist that specializes in the challenges of writing for children, is worried about the fact that an increasing number of children may be slow to learn to write because of an overuse of technology.

It wishes, moreover, that studies be carried out on the subject in order to better treat and prevent this new phenomenon.