PBS Kids wants to ease your parenting guilt
The new Playtime Pad tablet lets parents set screen-time limits and includes educational games, videos and apps.
Feeling guilty you let your kids spend hours looking at videos from your phone? The new Playtime Pad from PBS Kids might ease your guilt.
For starters, the bright blue and green tablet is from the TV powerhouse known for its entertaining educational programs and games. Parents might also feel better about the tablet because it lets them set time limits for each child and manage what kids can play.
That's important because the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that "excessive media" might slow language development, cause attention disorders, disrupt sleep, lead to aggressive behavior and promote obesity in preschool and school-age children. The AAP says children 2 and younger should completely stay away from TVs, tablets and phones; older kids should spend no more than two hours a day with mobile devices.
The $80 Playtime Pad -- intended for ages 2 through 8 -- includes more than 25 games, more than 120 video clips, a Paint Box coloring app, PBS Kids Video App with more than 100 hours of video, PBS Kids ScratchJr app and PBS Parents Play and Learn app. It will be available November 6 from Best Buy stores and on Bestbuy.com, Walmart.com and Shop.pbskids.org.