The iPad kid epidemic is something I've seriously thought about as something of a "digital native". These kids are spending inordinate amounts of time on multipurpose devices despite not using them for anything my grandma doesn't use her phone for.
There seems to be a debate of whether "knowing how to use technology" is a mentally stimulating skill or a brainless task. It definitely does require muscle memory and some degree of practice at a core level, and some specific programs do benefit from a certain level of knowledge, talent, and training (generally things like audio/video workstations, CGI software, CAD, or advanced mathematics software).
But most iPad apps are designed to be not only easy to use, but also "idiot proof." How does "idiot proofing" work? By reducing the chance of an unwanted response or potential system error. MS Word will make you save what you want to keep, and auto-recovery only works so well. The Notes app will save as you go. Less to be mindful of. Even a simple recording program like Audacity will make you either mind your input levels so your voice doesn't distort, or deal with distortion. Voice Memos will automatically duck loud sounds. Less to be mindful of. Computer spell check does best with formal grammar and only auto-corrects a fraction of your words instead of putting a red line under them. iPhones will know you meant "happy" and not "jspot", and are familiar enough with the relaxed vocabulary to correct "hinna" to "gonna". Less to be mindful of.
Premiere Pro has many controls to keep track of, and many more points of failure, but once you master them, you can edit with intricacy and access more points of creative expression - more opportunities to use your brain. iMovie has fewer controls and automates more tasks, but is less precise (especially when it comes to picture-in-picture compositing), and the little things (such as automatically fading in your audio) can be annoying. It limits your opportunities. And many of the simpler editors that TikTok'ers use have even fewer such opportunities.
Pro Tools is a program that you can go to college for and still not fully understand, but get great use out of. Its greatest learning curve is its advantage... you have so much flexibility over everything. GarageBand for iPhone is just a pick-up-and-play deal, and you can't even do many of the advanced things a "power user" would want (such as volume automation curves or adding your own instrument samples)... that you could do on GarageBand or Logic for Mac.
I remember when most kids played video games with plots that challenged your reflexes and critical thinking skills. Not so with a lot of iPad games.
Overall, a big theme here is a loss of mindfulness as a virtue. The iPad is a platform where you got fewer opportunities to screw up, more chances at instant gratification, and less of an incentive to do something original. Fewer learning opportunities all around.
Therefore, creating a society where in some contexts, carelessness won't necessarily cost you. Where mindfulness, discernment, and discretion are ever so slightly less relevant.
Where immediate gratification outpaces everything else, and the funny clipart app will always be preferred over a serious iPad drawing app like ProCreate. Where the piano app that always plays the right note as long as you get your rhythm right won't humble you into realizing that musicality takes practice. Where the games are rigged and the videos are sludge.
As someone raised by screens... not sure it's a sustainable practice.
