Rediscovering the radio: why not offer it to children, too?

According to a study presented at a pediatric conference (Pediatric Academic Society), one in seven children under the age of 12 months uses smartphones and tablets at least one hour per day. The survey, conducted by Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, also reveals that as the months go by, the time toddlers spend on electronic devices increases: 26% of children by 2 years old and 38% of 4-year-olds use them at least one hour a day.

However, continuously consuming content via screens can cause major issues, related to attention-span and cognitive abilities, and sometimes behavioral issues. A child who is addicted to screens and used to calming himself down with videos has a harder time waiting for something and overcoming frustration.

Moreover, children need to get to know the world using all five senses. When they’re young, they need to learn to handle objects, experiment with different materials, and concentrate on different sounds and smells. Placing a screen in the child’s face, which totally absorbs him, renders him helpless. The development of all other senses is thereby restricted.

But does this apply to all technology? Perhaps one medium is an exception to the rule: the radio.

Rediscovering the appreciation for the radio today

Today the radio is taken almost for granted. We often turn it on when doing household chores, when we’re at work, when we’re doing our grocery shopping or driving somewhere.

It’s typical to hear background music in social settings or when we’re going somewhere.

Incidentally, the radio is the oldest technological media used to transmit information from a distance and for entertainment. Since the end of the early 1900s, it’s been a “companion” device, discreetly but persistently entering our homes.

Despite its evolution, it’s never disappeared, proving that it continues to be an effective medium in many contexts.

Unlike TV, for example, radio costs very little, and doesn’t absorb 100% of our attention, which is why we are able to listen to it when we’re doing something else. If we can’t casually watch a movie while driving, we can listen to the news or music instead.

However, when it comes time to choose, we prefer other tools that seem “more complete.” We are constantly bombarded by images and have become addicted to our screens. Videos, photographs, news: we are constantly immersed in this whirlwind of content that affects our nervous system.

Radio, on the other hand, is the “most restful” of all media. It doesn’t require total absorption of the mind. Moreover, it is stimulating because it allows us – obviously when we aren’t driving! – to close our eyes and use our imagination.

The radio and kids: an unexplored opportunity

Why might the radio be a valuable tool to use with children?

Think of a six- or seven-year-old kid who likes soccer. Listening to the game, rather than seeing it on a screen, will force him to imagine it. He will have to concentrate, be attentive, and try to catch what the players are doing on the field.

Radio is a medium that gets one used to listening, a useful life skill.

Additionally, it’s a more restful medium because the nervous system receives fewer signals, and the child’s mind is not completely occupied. He can get used to listening to the radio or music, which is less intrusive than video games or cartoons.

An interesting example may be listening to audio-books. Rather than letting a child sit idly on the couch, watching cartoons and letting the images explain everything – which limits the development of his imagination –why not let him listen to fairy tales told verbally, which grow his ability to use his imagination?

Another pastime that could prove to be interesting for young children is listening to music… which is very different from watching music videos! Children who watch music videos are glued to the images, practically hypnotized by them. When they listen to music, on the other hand, without looking at anything, you’ll see them start dancing.

They are stimulated, and thus react by moving, which develops their coordination.

As a mom, I very often do this: when I turn a song on YouTube, I position my phone in a way that they can’t see the screen. They’re encouraged to go crazy with freedom, to dance, instead of being slaves to the screen.

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