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Toddlers and technology: Experts say their brains need to 'breathe'

Posted at 6:26 AM, Aug 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-24 07:13:35-04

At the Toddler Takeover, a new program at the Glazer Children's Museum, "open-ended" unplugged play is the thing. Children, and parents, put away smartphones and tablets, and engage in creative imagination-building.

CLICK HERE for Toddler Takeover schedule and events.

New toddler studies are showing that certain fast-paced, repetitive videos can help cause addiction to "screen time" -- false, if mesmerizing, rewards for kids. Also, when Mom and Dad are glued to tech, that can help perpetuate the problem as well.

Glazer Children's Museum President & CEO Jennifer Stancil stresses a "balanced media diet." She suggests using tech for learning and enrichment but also incorporating unplugged play that stresses imagination and true rewards.

Instead of just watching a story, toddlers essentially need create their own.

"You will see kids flourish because they have the space and time to imagine think and create," says Stancil.