Are Audio Players The Answer To Keeping Kids Off Screens?
The bird's plumage is brown in color as it is.
I had a few Raffi tapes that I used to play over and over on long car trips, and I also spent a lot of time recording silly songs and making my grown-ups listen to them.
It was the kind of imagination and creativity-packed play that nowadays parents are eager to encourage their kids more to engage in, as we desperately search for anything that doesn't involve a screen to hold their attention, who – like us – can quickly become engrossed in an endless scroll whenever they have the chance to do so.
New technologies have revolutionized how we consume music and other audiovisual content since my Raffi cassette tapes. I can easily find recordings of nearly any song I've ever heard with just a few taps on my phone - usually for free. But the convenience comes with a drawback. The apps we use to access entertainment of all kinds are designed to keep us engaged, making us loyal listeners for advertisers.
My son was three when it didn't take long for a search of "Thomas the Tank Engine" on YouTube to pull us into a long and endless series of railway videos on the internet, most of which, if viewed individually, were cute and harmless. What was terribly bad, though, was the way a computer screen took over my child's attention, turning him into a little zombie who kept asking for just a few more videos every time we indicated it was time to turn it off.
Linking screen time to developmental issues like delayed speech and mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
The eager market has piqued the interest of businesses, who've created a new product dubbed an "audio player" - essentially a modern iteration of the classic Fisher Price tape recorder. Priced around $70-$100, parents can purchase this device and content, which comes on a "card" (for Yoto) or a "figure" resembling a toy (for Toniebox). Other brands use similar formats.
Today, 3-year-olds are once again enjoying music with Raffi just like I did when I was their age forty years ago. It's as if time has brought us back full circle, introduced us to new concerns about parenting, and led us right back to our original starting point.
NPR spoke with specialists who work with kids and parents who have bought audio players for their families. Although no one thinks they alone will solve the screen time problem, many users praise their advantages.
The pros
The number one advantage of an audio player is that when a child is using it, they are not staring at a screen.
“Kids are able to concentrate better on what they're being told, letting their imagination run much wilder than screens could ever manage,” John Bianchette, vice president of education and training at Mathnasium, said to .
It can be "refreshing," he said, for a child to "get away from screens and practice their ability to just listen."
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In New York, she told that she bought an audio player a few years ago for her son, who was diagnosed with ADHD.
She feels that the association itself is a strong reason to limit kids' screen time, "because there are no proven benefits and many potential risks."
Children with ADHD often struggle to manage their screen time, because they can become intensely focused and easily become addicted to devices.
Her 12-year-old son still uses the device to listen to calming music at night and stories with audio. Bly listens to audio content with her children too, and she likes reliving "the old days of listening to cassette tapes and the radio." She has also suggested these players to her clients.
A man living in Ontario told that he has been satisfied with his purchase of a Yoto Mini for his three children, who are currently aged 6, 4, and 16 months and have had relatively minimal screen time, with their television usage being their only exposure.
His kids are able to use the player by themselves, and it keeps them occupied during especially hectic moments in the day.
"When they wake up early, they'll frequently switch on their Yoto player to entertain themselves. They'll lay back down and listen to their favorite books until we're able to get them ready for the day," Roopa stated.
Having a soothing activity like listening to stories that is designed for kids and aligns with bedtime routines can be a real game-changer for parents.
The developer told that she wanted the audio player to give her family "a screen-free form of entertainment my kids could utilize for quiet time, or whenever else they liked." She said her kids can operate the Toniebox on their own and find it to be "kid-proof."
She said it even survived being dropped down a flight of stairs.
Hanson also mentioned listening to stories on the audio player as a good way to build kids’ vocabulary.
Rupa Robbins, a child psychologist in California and a mother of two (ages 5 and 2 1/2) noted both the support of language development, and the fact that even very young children can turn the players on and select content themselves. “This gives them a sense of independence and control that they crave developmentally,” she said.
All of the audio content has to be procured by adults, so it comes parent-vetted, allaying concerns that kids will stumble upon inappropriate content, as they are virtually guaranteed to do online.
The cons
When I first looked into how these audio players work and realized every bit of content requires its own card or figure, I laughed to myself and recalled all the legos, game pieces, cards and other detritus I found in unlikely places throughout our home when my kids were small. But none of the parents I spoke with mentioned their kids losing track of the cards/figures. What they did bring up was the expense.
Although they use terms that warn about screen risks, audio players are actually products, and ultimately, the companies that make them aim to make a profit.
The cost of the device is lower than what you'd pay for a tablet, but you'll still have ongoing expenses. You'll have to purchase each piece of content separately, which can range from stories, songs, or podcasts found on YouTube or similar free apps.
A wonderful way to grow your library collection," the person said, "is to get new books. They want their local library to carry Yoto books, but so far, they haven't gotten an answer about whether it's possible.
on sale.
Hanson aims to ensure that each Tonie includes a substantial amount of content. Some Tonies may contain around 20 minutes of content, but they are priced the same as Tonies that offer over an hour of stories and songs.
More so than an iPad, whose endless content can captivate the attention of many, some kids find audio players to have more appeal.
"My oldest is really into it," Hanson said. "She takes it with her while she brushes her teeth, she likes to listen to it while she's doing crafts, and I've even seen her taking it with her to the bathroom!" Her four-year-old, however, "only likes it some of the time," and while the two-year-old shows little interest in it. "It doesn't yet hold her attention for long periods of time," Hanson said.
Some kids like it a lot better than others," Robbins said. "I think kids who enjoy music or stories and have rich imaginations are usually the ones who tend to enjoy it the most.
A kid will likely find that audio is the way for them to read without the usual frustration. However, you might not be able to change the tastes of a kid who loves video games.
She told that a few years ago, she bought a Yoto for her grandkids.
“I loved the idea of children hearing stories and letting their imagination run wild without the use of a screen,” she mentioned. She used to utilize it to play stories during a backyard campout with them, but now it mainly serves as a clock in the playroom.
"It's tough to keep a kid interested when they see screens everywhere. The way technology is advancing so fast can make it hard for them to give other toys and things they do their full attention," Robinson-Celeste said.
“They were initially invested, but ultimately, the screens took center stage.”
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