Left: Rabbi Miller's son Jonah, 6, using an IPad for educational purposes at the Rontal-Akervall Clinic, notes that with the increased popularity of portable music devic- es among children comes an increased health risk to children's ears. "Some children don't Daniel Klein realize that something is broken on their ear buds and they scratch their inner ears:' he cau- tions. "There is also the danger of noise-induced hearing loss, and that is something that isn't even realized until years Daniel Rontal later. It won't show up for 15-20 years, but we're seeing more peo- ple with early hearing loss in their mid- 30s because of listening to music, which is generally being played louder than it was in the '80s and '90s. "Kids in general feel that they're bul- letproof' Rontal adds. "The white iPod ear buds just sit in the ear and those are OK, but the ones that go into the ear canal, called sound-isolating headphones, can def- initely cause infection and scratch the ear:' Kidz Gear (www.GearForKidz.com) offers wired headphones for children designed specifically for the Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad. The Kidz Gear head- phones feature unique KidzControl Volume Limiting Technology that provides a safe listening experience while helping to protect children's hearing. rt ... The good, the bad and the dangerous. A s our society becomes even more dependent on technology, we will have to continue adapt- ing to the innovations that continue to amaze us. The constant advances in every- thing from mobile gadgets to household appliances will force us to change the way we currently do everyday tasks. If you need help figuring out how to use any of the new technology, just ask your kids. Children adapt quickest to new technol- ogy because they don't really have to adapt much. Swiping on an iPad screen, control- ling the Xbox 360 Kinect videogame con- sole through virtual reality or starting the family's washing machine from a mobile app seem to come naturally to them. Children as young as 4 years old are using the Internet, mobile devices and gaming consoles. In some cases, this is a good thing, but there are certain risk fac- tors that parents should be aware of. While technology can be used for positive edu- cational purposes, there are also serious physical and psychological concerns. A recent Nielson study finds that 70 percent of children 12 and under in households with tablets use the tablet, 77 percent to play games and 57 percent for educational purposes. Other reasons children used the tablets were for enter- tainment, 55 percent, and watching TV or movies, 43 percent. Forty-one percent of respondents said they used the tablets to keep a child occupied while at a restaurant or event. 14 March 1 . 2012 Benefits And Drawbacks Local parents report that letting their children use tablet computers like the iPad can be very helpful when waiting at the doctor's office, on long car rides and before the meal arrives at res- taurants. There are also advan- tages to having children do their homework on the iPad. Julie Feldman of Farmington Hills explains that her daughter Emily (a fourth- grader at Hillel Day School) is excited to come home and finish her advanced math homework on the iPad using the application Wowzers. Feldman, a registered dieti- cian, also sees advantages in technology for children concerned about their nutrition. "My young clients are able to track their daily food intake with an app making it much easier to monitor what they eat:' There are, however, concerns that some children are spending too much time in front of a digital screen and are likely not getting enough exercise or face-to-face social interaction. Dr. Daniel Klein, a child psychologist in Farmington Hills, says he sees many young patients who are spending too much time using technology by themselves and not enough time playing outside and interact- ing with their peers. He works with parents and provides guidance to help monitor their children's computer and gaming activ- ities. There are also fears that children will see things in video games or online that will have negative effects on their behavior and can lead to anxiety disorders, violent behavior or hyperactivity. Feldman believes that parents should determine what technology they allow their children to use based on the child's maturity level. She gave her daughter a cell phone when she was 8 years old but understands that this might be too young for other children. "It's very dependent on the child: she says. "My daughter spends many hours at dance classes and needs to be able to communicate with us. Having a cell phone and being able to text us is anxiety-reducing for her." Feldman also has become more cautious about her 31/2-year-old son's video gaming activity as she has noticed that he is act- ing out violent scenes and shooting with pretend guns after playing some realistic video games. All parents should be aware of their chil- dren's activity online and use monitoring software to ensure that adult content does not come up in search results. Google and other popular search engines on the Web have SafeSearch features to filter adult con- tent from search results. Violent scenes can also be avoided with such applications as NetNanny, which provide Internet controls. Guard Your Children's Hearing There are also physical dangers associated with technology. Dr. Daniel Rontal, an ENT Use It Wisely New technology helps us be more productive and improves our lives, but we have to learn to use it safely and in healthy ways. So too, as adults, we must be responsible and monitor the way our children use technology. Overuse of computers and mobile devices can curtail important interpersonal communication and can hinder children from developing the skills necessary to deal with others in real life. However, there are real benefits to children's using technology as well. Reports abound that demonstrate how technology is bolstering children's learning experiences and complementing the education they receive in school. Some technology is even making it easier for chil- dren with developmental disabilities. The bottom line is that the best thing parents can do is become well trained in the technology their children are using to ensure a positive, safe and healthy technol- ogy experience. ❑ Rabbi Jason Miller is a blogger, educator and technology expert. He blogs at blog.rabbijason. corn and is on Twitter at @rabbijason. He is president of Access Computer Technology, an IT and social media marketing company in West Bloomfield.