http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19560-too-much-screen-time-is-bad-for-active-kids-too.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403489

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803173127.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html

Okay, this is something!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,253360,00.html

But overall I don't think we have the science yet to distinguish between the effects of apps and educational games and TV/DVDs/vidoe games, as is admitted here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...tphones-and-ipads-mush-my-toddlers-brain

I can see how active creating seems different. But how much time do kids actually spend doing this, vs. the other "junkier" stuff, and how much might we justify a lot of junk with some (not much) educational stuff?

This is an interesting piece:

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/more-screen-time-for-kids-who-create-instead-of-watch/

I guess there is and probably always still will be a part of me that feels the flat world of screen creating is inferior for most things, too. DD is very artistic, but we haven't found anything online that gives the thrill and result of real-life materials. My observation is that these programs limit you or cookie-cutter you in all sorts of ways.