Dr. Cornelia Brunner, deputy director of the Center for Children and Technology, a nonprofit research group in Manhattan, said cellphones can serve as "transitional objects" for young children suffering separation anxiety from their parents, and that phones with "reasonably interesting games" might have some "redeeming educational value."

"Dolls are unnecessary too," noted Dr. Brunner, a developmental psychologist. "The only harm is an economic one. Kids whose families can't afford all this junk are made to feel worse and worse, and some parents end up shelling out money that would be better spent elsewhere."

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