Toys vs. Screens: Childhood on Two Fronts
The global toy market is massive, but growth in the industry has slowed and, more importantly, toys' share of children's play time has fallen sharply.
Guest note, Ahmed Abedini, industrial designer: The spread of smartphones and tablets has shifted the map of children's entertainment, and the toy shelf is becoming quieter every day. A scene where the shelf full of toys has gradually turned into a corner for the duster and the small touch screen has taken the place of the child's "main companion"; It is familiar to many families. The question is: Is the toy industry in competition with screens and smartphones on the verge of the end or is there still hope to continue?
This transformation did not happen overnight, but its speed has been surprising. According to the famous survey of the Common Sense Media Institute in America, children aged 8 to 12 spend an average of five and a half hours a day and teenagers spend more than eight and a half hours with the screen; The time that is more than the hours of attendance at school. The World Health Organization also warns that children under the age of two should not be exposed to screens at all, and for the age group of 2 to 4 years, a maximum of one hour per day is recommended; A recommendation that is far from the reality of houses in practice.
We can see the result of this gap in children's behavior: the toy that was the best birthday gift last year, today remains silent and forgotten behind the tablet. Parents still buy, but toy sales are no longer a valid measure of "play"; Because owning a toy has become increasingly distant from using it.
Is the end of toys near?
No, but the role of the toy has changed. The global toy market is still huge and has an annual turnover of more than 100 billion dollars; From big brands like Lego and Mattel to small local workshops, billions of plastic and wooden pieces are still being delivered to children. However, the growth of this industry has slowed down, and more importantly, toys' share of a child's "playtime" has drastically decreased.
Parents still buy toys; Because they believe in its educational value or consider it their duty to buy it, but children spend less time with these purchases. In other words, the toy has been reduced from a "daily companion" to an "occasional gift". So the discussion is not about life or death; پرسش واقعی این است که اسباب‌بازی در رقابتی که قواعدش را دیگران تعیین کردند، می‌تواند دوباره وقت کودک را «بخرد» یا نه.
Why can't a toy keep a child engaged for hours?
For the answer, we need to see with what technology the digital game is made. Contrary to popular belief, mobile and video games are not just "entertainment"; They are the product of teams of psychologists, game designers, and engineers whose mission is to keep the user's attention as much as possible. The three main tools of this industry are:
• Variable reward: the child does not know what reward is waiting for him after this stage; This uncertainty prompts the brain to release dopamine and keep going.
• Immediate feedback: every touch has real-time visual and audio feedback; While the wooden tower that collapses does not bring encouragement.
• محتوای بی‌پایان: هیچ مرحله‌ای «آخر» نیست، اما پازل بعد از پنجاه تکه تمام می‌شود.
A classic toy is just the opposite of this design: open, slow and creative. The child must create a story by himself, play a role and have patience. This "slowness" is actually the valuable essence of the toy; But to a brain accustomed to the speed and bustle of digital, it seems boring. The difference is not only in attractiveness; تفاوت در این است که یک طرف رقابت آگاهانه برای تسخیر توجه طراحی شده و طرف دیگر فقط برای «بازی کردن» ساخته شده است. The digital game is the product of teams whose aim is to capture the child's attention; A toy just wants to play.
unequal competition; The main challenges of toys
This competition is held on an uneven ground from the beginning. بازی دیجیتال رایگان یا ارزان است، مدام به‌روز می‌شود، با دوستان هم‌سن و سال به‌صورت آنلاین همبازی می‌شود و حمل آن آسان است. اسباب‌بازی اما گران است، جا می‌گیرد، کهنه می‌شود و اغلب کودک با آن تنها بازی می‌کند. The following table summarizes the challenges of this competition:
نکته تلخ‌تر اینکه بخشی از اسباب‌بازی‌های مدرن نیز به کپی ضعیفی از دنیای دیجیتال تبدیل شدند: عروسک‌هایی که به‌جای تقویت تخیل، فقط آواز می‌خوانند و نورپردازی می‌کنند. Such products have neither the appeal of digital games nor the capacity of traditional games; It means the worst possible situation for the toy industry.
What's going on behind the screen light?
پزشکان و متخصصان رشد، مهم‌ترین آسیب‌های استفاده بی‌رویه را چنین برمی‌شمارند:
• اختلال خواب: نور آبی صفحه و تحریک شبانه، ساعت خواب کودک را به‌هم می‌ریزد و کم‌خوابی، یادگیری روز بعد را ضعیف می‌کند.
• افت تمرکز: کودکی که هر چند ثانیه محرک تازه می‌بیند، در کلاس درس و با کتاب صبر و تمرکز لازم را نمی‌آورد.
• تأخیر گفتار و تعامل: کودکانی که ساعت‌ها تنها با صفحه می‌گذرانند، فرصت گفت‌وگو و بازی تعاملی «سوخت اصلی رشد زبان» را از دست می‌دهند.
• آسیب‌های جسمی: کم‌تحرکی و چاقی، خستگی چشم و افت بینایی از پیامدهای شناخته‌شده ساعت‌های طولانی نشستن پشت صفحه‌نمایش است.
• آشفتگی هیجانی: صحنه‌های تند و سریع، نظام تنظیم هیجان کودک را به‌هم می‌ریزند و بی‌قراری و پرخاشگری را بیشتر می‌کنند.
The issue is not just "less playing time"; The problem is the transfer of growth opportunities. هر ساعتی که کودک در برابر صفحه می‌نشیند، از ساعتی کم می‌شود که باید با دست، بدن و تخیل خودش و در تعامل با دیگران بگذراند؛ The same opportunities for which the toy is designed.
Return to the game; The solution is in the hands of the parents
The complete elimination of technology is neither possible nor necessary; What is needed is the management of this competition. Some practical solutions for families:
1. اول اسباب‌بازی، بعد صفحه: در روزهای هفته، استفاده از تبلت پس از زمان بازی فعال یا فعالیت بدنی مجاز شود؛ The reward screen should be the game's reward, not its replacement.
2. قرارداد خانوادگی استفاده از تبلت: ساعت و مدت استفاده را با خود کودک توافق کنید و جایی در دسترس بچسبانید؛ The law that the child contributed to is better observed.
3. Screen-free areas: the bedroom and dining room should always be free of phones and tablets; Healthy sleep and family conversation is the red line.
4. Joint play time: 20 to 30 minutes a day playing with toys with the child has more effect than any expensive toy; A child needs a "companion", not just a tool.
5. Open-ended toy choices: blocks, Legos, play dough, dolls, and puzzles, toys that don't have one right way to play and use the imagination last longer.
6. Be a role model: A child whose parents are always on their phones won't believe any advice about toys. Set screen-free hours for everyone in the household.
The toy and screen war is not a war of good and bad; The battle is between two models of "buying attention": the insatiable model of the algorithm and the slow model of imagination. Toys are not the end of the road, but they cannot wait for the child to come back on his own; They should take parents with them and reclaim their rightful place: a complement to digital life, not its forgotten competitor. A child who today chooses between a wooden tower and the first tablet, tomorrow will not be afraid of technology, nor will he be bound by it; He has learned to make the world, not just watch.