Baby bouncy seat with iPad attachment sparks outrage online
A new baby bouncy seat with a built-in iPad attachment is coming under fire from children's advocates who say babies need "laps, not apps."
The Fisher-Price bouncy seat -- marketed as the Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity Seat for iPad -- comes with a with a spot for parents to insert an iPad so baby can watch content aimed at the youngest children. Fisher-Price describes it as "another way to stimulate and engage baby."
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood started an online petition campaign Tuesday, urging Fisher-Price to recall the product.
The CCFC says encouraging screen time at such a young age is not healthy for an infant's development.
"The seat is the ultimate electronic babysitter. Its very existence suggests it's fine to leave babies all alone with an iPad inches from their face," said Susan Linn, the group's director, in an interview.The Associated Press contacted Fisher-Price's parent company, Mattel, for reaction but the company indicated it had no immediate comment.
The bouncy seat's attachment has colorful toys that dangle so a baby can reach and grab. The case where a parent could insert an iPad has a large mirror for the baby to see its face when there's no iPad in the slot.
In its product description, Fisher-Price says parents can download apps to their iPads with soothing sounds and high-contrast patterns that help infants develop tracking skills.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages any electronic "screen time" for infants and toddlers under 2. It cites research that found infant videos can delay language development, and warns that no studies have documented a benefit of early viewing.