Helsingin Sanomat's most-read story on Monday morning looks at the influence of screen time on children's language development.
The article reports that some kids aren't getting enough real-life interaction with their parents to learn to speak properly, and that's a growing problem.
According to pediatric neurologist Susanna Leivonen, some kids are not learning to speak properly because they spend hours alone on a screen, causing them to pick up random phrases in English.
Leivonen said that an increasing number of 3–5-year-old children are arriving at her clinic whose main communication consists of English phrases and expressions picked up from YouTube or other online sources. She noted that some parents are misguided in believing that this is a positive development.
Repeating catchphrases results from extensive and excessive screen time, according to Leivonen.
"Sometimes I notice how a child immediately starts asking their parent for a smart device as soon as they arrive at my clinic. It's quite concerning," Leivonen said, adding that parents shouldn't resort to screens to calm their kids.
Golden years
Hufvudstadsbladet follows up on government plans to stop supplementing small pensions for Finnish recipients living abroad.
Due to come into effect from the start of next year, the move would mostly impact Finnish pensioners living in Sweden. According to HBL, the measure would mean less money for around 18,000 retirees in Sweden.
"It's as if we are being punished in every possible way. Our childhood was marked by war and scarcity," said Arvo Kiviniemi, who left for Sweden from Kurikka in Ostrobothnia in 1953, as part of the postwar migration.
The results of a consultation round suggest that the proposal aimed as a cost-saving measure could end up costing the state.
That's because there are Finnish pensioners, including those in Spain, who are considering moving back to Finland to continue receiving the national pension. If this were to happen on a large scale, the government's savings plan would not only collapse but also result in even higher state costs to cover the social security of the returning pensioners.
VAT rises
Next weekend Finland's general rate of value-added tax (VAT) will rise to 25.5 percent.
This isn't a good time to raise VAT, according to Juhana Brotherus, chief economist at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises.
"In our opinion, this isn't a wise policy. There are several factors here that are unfortunate," he told Kauppalehti, noting that the hike was too big and hasty.
"If the tax had been kept at the Nordic level of 25 percent Nordic level, it would have been easier for both consumers and entrepreneurs to swallow," he told the business daily.
The All Points North podcast has asked why Finland seems so relaxed about children using smartphones. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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