The Children's App Manifesto | Hacker News Reader

The Children's App Manifesto

childrensappmanifesto.net

23 pointsmikeleeorg9 comments

May I ask why children needs apps at all? It's a serious question: I would posit that real-life play is far, far more important. Everytime I've sat down with kids to play some game on a digital device they get bored very quickly and far more value is gained from lego, building airplanes, hanging out in the garden digging.. maybe after the age of 8 or something it's interesting to encourage some kind of programming experience but aside from rich-media books I've yet to come across anything that warranted giving my kids an iPad to play unsupervised.

Having said that, I do approve of the direction of this manifesto and would welcome examples of quality kids apps.

Why should children be excluded from the digital revolution? Why should us nerds be the only ones who can use the fruits of technology? This "Plastic toys are more fun than anything computerized" idea is ludditism dressed up to pretend to be concerned with children's interests. Why do you need email? Isn't pen & paper enough? What would a woman want with an education, aren't they just going to be mothers and have no need for it? Etc. This sort of conservatism and rationing I just don't buy.

My 4 year old nephew knows all the tool names in our workshop and what they are for. But I give him an iPad and he's honestly bored, even with story books - he's just not engaged and I'm not going to spend money on iPad apps for him. I'm open to new experiences for him, but this is just my observation.

Well not all toys will be liked by all kids. Being 28, I come from one of the first generations to grow up with computers. My life would have been much different without the software I had growing up, no question.

One of the interesting things with tablets is I believe we are seeing more kids and parents playing together with software. In my day, my parents were afraid of the computer. The goal isn't always to entertain the child unsupervised.

Regardless, it would be a shame to see the shady practices of some businesses sabotage this chance for this batch of youngsters.

Yes, that's a good point: to not be afraid of computers. I think I had a myopic moment where not all parents are technically savvy and apps are a way of engaging kids in having a technical culture from an early age.

The problem is not when you sit down with kids to play. The problem is when they want to play but there's no-one to play with.

Apps seem better than TV at that point.

I have a feeling this may come down to boredom and creativity. When children are bored (e.g. there is a lack of stimulation), they tend to use their imaginations to entertain themselves.

Electronic devices carry wonderfully rich worlds and media. It's conceivable that such readily available stimulation may replace the need for a child to use their creativity and imagination.

At least - at some young age. Electronic devices can also open entire worlds. I just saw a TED talk where a 6th grader has been developing iOS apps. Without exposure to iPhones & iPads, that young boy wouldn't have made such creations.

So my uninformed, intuitive guess is that there's an age - or more accurately, a maturity level - at which a child can be exposed to apps, electronic devices, Internet media, etc, without any worry of stunting that sense of youthful creativity. At the right maturity level, such exposure may even unlock further heights of creativity.

BTW, I don't mean neglect, I mean boredom. I don't think you can achieve the same effect by totally ignoring your kids. :P

I thought the Childrens' App Manifesto would be: handle noisy input gracefully. :P

No ads in the corners to accidentally tap. Dragging should work with a finger on the screen, no visible "back to menu" buttons.

How 'bout we get this stuff for adults?

"Apps should not disguise costs nor manipulate children’s emotions to entice spending."

"with touchscreens at their fingertips and mud between their toes."

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