University News Last updated 22 January 2015
"Parents need to incorporate technology into the play options available to children rather than into an item placed on a pedestal", said Dr Katerina Kantartzis, Lecturer in Psychology at Birmingham City University.
"Technology features in any household these days and inevitably children want to use it", said Katerina in response to new survey findings released by children research specialists Childwise.
Childwise's 2015 Monitor Report on children's media use has revealed a surge in the number of tablet computers being used by youngsters and suggests that parents use time on technology devices as a way of rewarding or punishing their children.
"Using a tablet as a reward or threat will make it more desirable to children, which is loosely based on the principle of scarcity, proposed by Cialdini in 1984. The more scarce something is, the more we want it.
"Bribing or threatening with technology could actually make children want to use it even more. Parents need to ensure that they have enough activities available for their children and that they are planning regular days out to stop their young ones from wanting to use technology constantly. If enough activities are being planned, I'm sure we would find that the last thing children want to do is sit on a tablet for hours."