For the first time since at least the 1970s, injury rates for little kids are on the rise. Could it have something to do with the boom in smartphone sales, and the resulting wave of parental distraction? Hold on... need to check my Facebook feed.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported about "The Perils of Texting While Parenting," noting: "Nonfatal injuries to children under age five rose 12% between 2007 and 2010, after falling for much of the prior decade, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on emergency-room records. The number of Americans 13 and older who own a smartphone such as an iPhone or BlackBerry has grown from almost 9 million in mid-2007, when Apple introduced its device, to 63 million at the end of 2010 and 114 million in July 2012, according to research firm comScore."
We've all seen (or been?) the parents, nannies, and babysitters with their eyes glued to their smartphone for anywhere from seconds to minutes while a child does their own thing -- on a playground, a city sidewalk, or in a busy public place. And we all know how long it takes for a child to get hurt or lost (split seconds). Most of us are smart enough to realize that's a dangerous combination. But... hold on. I just got a text.
