A global toy manufacturing company has come under fire for producing an iPad-friendly child seat. The Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity seat, from Fischer-Price, a subsidiary of Mattel, is a reclining bouncy chair that allows space for an iPad to be strapped into an attached case just above the infant's face.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has slammed the promotion of the child seat and called on Fischer-Price to take it off the market. According to the organisation, the seat encourages parents to leave their child alone in the seat, because screens can be mesmerising and babies are strapped down and "safely restrained" in the seat.
"The Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity seat for iPad device is ultimately an electronic babysitter, whose very existence suggests that it's fine to leave babies as young as newborns all alone and with an iPad inches from their face," says CCFC director Susan Linn. "Fisher-Price should stay true to its mission to foster learning and development by creating products for infants that promote, rather than undermine, interaction with caregivers."
According to CCFC, there's no evidence that babies benefit from screen time and some evidence suggest it may be harmful. "Research suggests that screen time for children under two is linked to language delays, sleep disturbance, and learning problems later in childhood," says the organisation in a statement. "By manufacturing a device to restrain infants in front of a screen, even when they're too young to sit up, Fisher-Price actually discourages interactions that are crucial to learning and healthy development."
It is unclear whether the Apptivity seat has reached SA's shores yet, but it is available for purchase online.
The Apptivity seat is just one of Mattel's technology-driven products. The Fischer-Price Web site also features a "Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case for iPad", which allows infants to play with an iPad without getting the device dirty. Mattel also offers a host of Apptivity apps that "brings toys to life and turns tablets into moving digital worlds".
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