Mom complains that her 2-year-old can't properly use an iPad yet: 'My 4-year-old has always used a tablet for games and occasional tv time and has never problems'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Sep 5, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Before you become a parent, you have a lot of pie-in-the-sky ideas about how you'll raise your future children. Those ideas might include eliminating screen time entirely or not allowing them to access social media until they're 18. However, once you actually have kids, you realize why parents let them play on their iPads for 8-hour car rides. It's not easy to keep a kid entertained for 14 hours a day every day, and sometimes you have to do things that go against the leading psychological studies. 

Many parents use an iPad as a tool to occupy their kids, allowing them to step away from supervising so they can do dishes for 20 minutes a day. Some purists might not think that's acceptable, but it's certainly better than letting your kid spend every moment on an iPad when they're bored. Kids need the skills that come with playing with objects with their hands, and using a tablet for all hours of the day doesn't allow them to be creative or ingenious. Considering how easy it is for anyone, child or adult, to become addicted to their devices, parents should be grateful if their little tykes choose to forgo the technology for something more hands-on.

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  • The mom in this story is shocked and appalled that her 2-year-old, nearly 3-year-old daughter shows no interest in using a tablet. Her older sibling can use it with ease, but she gets frustrated and can't figure out how to use it.

  • Serious curious African American toddler boy in white shirt sitting on the floor among wooden toys using a tablet
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Maybe they don't need one yet?!

    Does anyone have a toddler who CANT work an iPad? My 2.8 year old has an Amazon tablet but gets entirely too frustrated to use it by herself. Any video I put on she messes with and gets out of it, she gets incredibly frustrated at the games, has trouble using her finger to play the games, throws it when she's struggling (which is every couple minutes) I was really hoping this would be something she could use to entertain herself but she can't figure it out. It's been months of this and she alway
    via u/silkentab
  • defeated_engineer The kid is fighting for its life to not be a iPad baby. Keep it going kid. Save yourself.
    via u/defeated_engineer
  • tundybundo It is SO horrific for brain development. Do people not know that, like are they actually unaware?
    via u/tundybundo
  • ColoredGayngels Probably. Hanlon's razor- don't assign malice to what can be adequately explained by incompetence. Chances are most of the ipad baby parents DON'T know that it's harmful to cognitive development, they just know that their children are (usually) entertained and "smart" enough to use the tablet to entertain themselves.
    via u/ColoredGayngels
  • Something people who spend enough time online to learn these things often forget is that most people aren't online a lot, and if they are but aren't looking for this information, they likely won't see it due to the nature of algorithms. In my experience, Reddit (and Tumblr) users specifically are more likely to be aware of certain issues than people who are only on insta/facebook/tiktok because Reddit (and Tumblr) show you feeds of topics you actually choose instead of algorithms showing you exc
    via u/ColoredGayngels
  • gonnafaceit2022 You're right-- and, I think a lot of these people are the type to dismiss any suggestion of doing things wrong if it doesn't suit them. Maybe not this one in particular, but plenty would huff and argue about the science and claim they know more so they can get what they want (in this case, a frustrated toddler I guess).
    via u/gonnafaceit2022
  • AssignmentFit461 I have 2 nieces, one is definitely an iPad kid, was an iPad baby. At about 18 months old, my SIL & brother would bring her iPad to my house & proudly show off her skills on those mixing/baking apps.
    via u/AssignmentFit461
  • She'll be 8 y/o next month & she's so behind in every way. She didn't finish potty training until she was almost 6, and only then because she was going to start school & couldn't go in pull-ups. They ended up homeschooling her (against everyone else's advice). She's so awkward, she doesn't know how to talk to people. When she does, she just constantly compliments them ("I like your shirt/hair/earrings" or "your____ is so pretty"). When we go out to restaurants, the waitress can barely take our o
    via u/AssignmentFit461
  • She's also extremely overweight. Last time I visited my brother, I said something like, "You should take her outside more, take away the iPad & let her run around and play." he said, "She can't run. I made her walk up & down the stairs 5x and her legs were so sore, she couldn't walk for 2 days." The stairs are 10 steps.
    via u/AssignmentFit461
  • awesomexsarah Need to start the addiction young so you can train them to sit silently and be sucked into the screen
    via u/awesomexsarah
  • Neocrog "sit silently"? I think you forgot the part where they leave the same 3 second tiktok/reel/ have you on repeat at full volume in public for 300 loops that is just the most obtrusive audio clip they could find. They seem to have tablets figured out, but not child safe headphones.
    via u/Neocrog
  • yungdaughter It's so strange how badly this person wants their daughter to be an iPad baby lol my three year old looks at my iPad maybe 20 minutes per week
    via u/yungdaughter
  • Ghanima81 They want the free time that comes with an iPad baby. That is disheartening.
    via u/Ghanima81
  • Calm little African American son in white shirt sitting on floor and using tablet while playing with wooden toys alone
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • KurwaDestroyer This is actually what she responded with essentially. I commented on the original post. I suggested she take the iPad from the 4 year old and that the 4 year old would get bored enough that they'd start to play together and free up some of her time. She started arguing she didn't have a village or any help so it's something she needed to do for time to herself.
    via u/KurwaDestroyer
  • "I have 2 under 4. I need to do this." Ma'am, I have 3, 2 and under. I haven't had a break since February of 2024. It is basically September 2025. You know what they do bc I don't default to screens? They play together.
    via u/KurwaDestroyer
  • questionsaboutrel521 Part of the problem of mastering point and swipe skills that are needed for a tablet or phone, is that for very young kids, they learn they can achieve cause and effect (when I do this! Something happens!) while using very minimal motor skills.
    via u/questionsaboutrel521
  • Toddler in blue and brown camoflage shirt with green paint on hand
    via Gabe Pierce

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • To me, this is a big difference between watching "the big TV" which toddlers have done for generations, and the current era with personal screens. I don't totally have evidence to support this, but I think this can't be great for their brain and body development. They get the reward signals in their brain for creating cause and effect ("oooh, when I swiped my finger a new video starts"), but they still don't have all the skills and their muscles that their little bodies need to do all the moveme
    via u/questionsaboutrel521
  • tabbytigerlily If you browse r/teachers, r/kindergarten, and r/ECEprofessionals, you will see SO many posts about kids these days severely lacking in fine motor skills. All the way up to high schoolers who still can't tie their shoes. Screen time is not necessarily evil, but you always have to think about what it's taking the place of, which is why it should be used sparingly. Young
    via u/tabbytigerlily
  • kids are meant to be playing, because play is how they develop so many important skills. Time they spend on a screen is time they aren't doing the essential work of childhood. Even lying around being bored will (eventually) get them using their own initiative and imagination to stop the boredom. Parents just have to get comfortable with boredom and whining.
    via u/tabbytigerlily
  • Spare_Hornet As a kid, I used to tell my mom, “I'm bored”. She'd ask, "Do you want to find something to do? Or do you want ME to find you something to do?". That's how I very quickly learned that I better handle my boredom using my imagination and toys rather than having mom assign me age- appropriate chores lol
    via u/Spare_Hornet
  • questionsaboutrel521 Exactly. My kid just woke up from his nap and is babbling in bed right now (he's not crying or anything). I'm not rushing over there. He's building his imagination.
    via u/questionsaboutrel521
  • bookbat My 2.8 year old thinks iPads are for schoolwork because I have one and it's strictly used for my college work. He's a whiz at opening the weather, maps, and photos apps when he gets to play with his dad's phone for five supervised minutes at a time. Toys, books, crayons and paper, playing outside...that's what you want, lady.
    via u/b00kbat

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ipad toddler mother toddlers siblings technology bad parenting tablet tablets bad parents parenting ipad baby little kids mom Parenting Fail Parenting FAILS
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