Personally, I don't care if there are studies or not. When I see adults or kids so involved in their online life that they lack the common manners of engaging with the humans around them, I know there is a thing as too much! I'm bothered when my son goes to friends' homes to play and the kids doesn't even interact with him because they won't get off their iPods. Or sitting at the Thanksgiving table and the relatives are more interested in carring on a FB chat than being polite. I don't want to raise a child like that, and I know only too well that too much screen time leads to an inability to concentrate. Reading on the screen, multi-tabbing, has made me struggle to concentrate on dense reading material. I'm too used to "reading" things in little snippets. My brain only expects to have to think in little jaunts anymore.
And forget the argument that they will be behind with technology. Using an iPad doesn't exactly involve having technological prowess. Hand one to any toddler and see how fast they pick it up. Using Word or the Internet doesn't take much skill either. Sure, there is a lot more than that to technology, and I'm all for kids learning programming, and not being afraid of turning on a computer (like my dad). But I've seen that disengaged baby too many times myself. I've been that person online who is to engrossed with worthless garble to pay attention when my sweet boy just wants to play with me.
Oh sure, it's so easy to get sucked into the line that there is so much wonderful useful information online. But in the end, I don't give a crap if my DS learned to read in 20 different languages because of some unprecedented technology and access to information, if he can't even look up and smile, and step away from it when I enter the room. I want to raise a human--loving, connected, and present. I want to model being that human to him as well. It is so hard in this day and age and I am more and more for limiting technology as time goes on.
