There’s no denying that technology has grown exponentially in the past few decades. With this growth comes a lot of noise surrounding the topic of children and technology; should they be allowed to use it? If so, what kind of games can they play? What kind of videos should they be allowed to watch? How much time should they spend with screens every day? Does screen time really have an impact on a child’s development?
To help reduce this noise, we asked our resident early childhood development expert, Sandy Portko, about the struggles with screen time. Here’s what she had to say:
Screen time is a huge concern for contemporary parents in terms of content as well as amount of time spent viewing. As our society has become more technologically connected, the amount of screen time has increased and affected the behavior and development of everyone who uses it.
Passive vs Active Screen Time
Recent research findings are highlighting the effects of screen time on the brain development of infants and children. Infants who average one hour of screen time daily, excluding video chatting, show a greater amount of inattentive brain wave functioning compared with infants of the same age who engage in significantly less daily screen time. Some studies have measured brain waves while children are watching a “child-friendly program” and discovered greater amounts of inattentive brain waves during the actual viewing, thus demonstrating the direct effects this type of screen use.
Video-chatting using Zoom, Skype, or Facetime does not seem to produce the same “inattentive brain wave pattern’” because the kids, especially infants, are actively engaging with another person and not being passively “lulled”.
Why Set Limits?
Sources have varying recommendations on daily screen time limits depending on the child’s age. Some suggest limiting passive screen time to just fifteen minutes or less per day for children under 18 months. The CDC recommends not giving children screen time at all until they are two years old.
There are many reasons why recommending limited screen time is a good thing. One of the biggest concerns parents try to prevent is exposure to unsafe viewing, such as violence, misleading information, sexual or explicit content, negative stereotypes, and more. This is more likely to happen if your child is left with complete control of the device and if they are left unsupervised while using it.
Aside from exposure, research shows that too much screen time can lead to a plethora of issues, including:
- Sleep problems
- Lower grades in school
- Not enough exercise, which can lead to struggles with weight, diet, and overall health
- Mood problems
- Poor self-image
The CDC also notes that excessive passive screen time may mean less time spent interacting with other children of the same age, thus resulting in social difficulties. These difficulties may involve the child struggling to pay attention in school or lacking crucial problem-solving skills that are often developed during play.
To reduce or even avoid these negative outcomes, parents can take the following steps.
- Set firm limits on viewing time as recommended by the CDC or other institutions researching the negative outcomes.
- Carefully monitor the content of all screen-time engagement.
- Be aware of parental controls allowed by the online platforms coming into the home.
- Discuss family values with the children in age-appropriate language and talk about the desired platform in terms of those values.
- If necessary, activate parental control systems for children too young to understand the above discussions.
- Think about your subscriptions—if you watch something you don’t want your children to see, maybe don’t subscribe at all. Children watch what we do, not what we say.
- Maintain open communication with your children and discuss programs or video games that have questionable content. Explain your concerns about the content contradicting your family’s values. Calm conversations acknowledging the child’s or teen’s interests and explaining parental reasoning is more effective than forbidding a program or game without explanation.
Parent Tips!
To supplement Sandy’s awesome advice, we asked parents/caregivers on our staff to weigh in on how they handle the screen time with kids. Here’s what they had to say:
“If kids are on the screens, parents can engage with them. It doesn’t have to be constant, it can be in and out, maybe every few minutes. Identify what is happening in the show or game, respond to their questions, ask them what they’re doing and learning, or talk about what shapes, colors, letters, or numbers they see. Parents can also set a timer in between screen time and ask kids to spend a set amount of time outside or doing another form of play, like coloring or playing with toys.” -Brooke A.
“Our rule is for every half hour of screen time they use, they owe us half an hour of reading, Lego building, or some other sort of play. Realistically we are more lenient with screen time in the winter because we’re more limited on things we can do, but in warmer seasons it’s much easier to limit it because we all love being outside. We also keep screens out of the kitchen/dining areas so we can focus on conversation during meal times. We let them color or read at the table too.” -Karissa M.
“I have my kids check out the tool/device they need to do whatever they are looking for, like the Nintendo Switch or the TV remote. Otherwise these devices are in my office. This helps them make it a conscious choice and not just an easy or mindless one.” -John G.
“I notice that if we are distracted, kids will act differently. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is the purest joy than anyone can experience. If it’s nice out, take long walks and look for any animals or insects. It’s a great way to learn about nature. I also like to pull out books, coloring activities, or crafts to do with them, or simply exercise with them by jumping, stretching, etc.” -Leticia M.
To read more about the affects of screen time, click the links below:
Screen Time Recommendations By Age Chart — Family Education.com
Screen Time and Children — American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Screen Time vs Lean Time — CDC
Thanks for reading!
We encourage you to use these tips and let us know how it goes! Feel free to send us a message on social media or tag us in your posts with @familyfutures on Instagram or Facebook!
