The WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines do not recommend smartphone use for children under one year old. However, in Japan, one in three one-year-olds is placed in an environment where they use the internet daily, and their screen time is as follows: Less than 1 hour 48.5% Less than 1 to 2 hours 29.5% Less than 2 to 4 hours 17.9% 4 hours or more 4.1%” This is the survey result from the paper introduced in [Part 1: At Age 2, 58% of Toddlers Use the Internet and Show No Interest in Insects or Outdoor Play]. And in recent years, there has been a trend where much of parenting is done through apps. The recent book ‘Report on How Smartphone Parenting is Ruining Children’ (Shinchosha) sheds light on the reality of smartphone parenting. We will look into the reality of parenting replaced by apps, citing this book. Childcare teachers do not necessarily think that smartphone use is bad. Smartphones have their own benefits, but there are abilities in direct parenting by parents that can only be nurtured through direct interaction. What the teachers are concerned about is that by replacing everything with apps, these latter abilities may not develop. ‘Stop Crying App’ and the Sound of a Vacuum Cleaner The director of a nursery school interviewed for this book says: “A commonly used tool by recent parents is the “Stop Crying App.” Young children cry frequently. At such times, if you activate the app, sounds like a vacuum cleaner or plastic, along with various images, play. The children are attracted to these sounds and videos and stop crying immediately. Of course, I understand that parents use it because they are troubled. However, children cry because they have something they want to express. For parents, even though it might be a bit troublesome, by soothing the child and understanding and fulfilling their wishes, an attachment relationship is formed and emotional growth occurs. But what the app does is ignore all of this and simply stop the crying mechanically. Children who are raised in this manner regularly often show differences compared to those who are not.” ‘Stop Crying Apps’ are not the only tools substituting parts of parenting. Besides the ‘Bedtime Apps’ introduced in [Part 1], there are countless others like ‘Singing Apps’ and ‘Fuss Prevention Apps.’ According to the teachers, children who interact with these apps regularly often exhibit more emotional instability compared to other children. They tend to panic over minor issues, hit other children, break things, and refuse to nap, among other behaviors. The director says: “When observing at the nursery, there are clear problems arising with the children. But it’s difficult to tell the parents. If an older teacher says something, they are dismissed with “Times are different from when you were teaching.” If a younger teacher says something, they are met with anger for not understanding the challenges of parenting. As a result, we end up unable to say anything and must categorize it as the child’s characteristics.” Such parents tend to use apps not only for daily life matters but also for educational purposes.