Screen Time
One of the biggest dilemmas that parents face today is how much screen time their child should have, even for toddlers or younger! The fear of kids sitting mindlessly in front of screens is not a new one - TV screens have long been a part of American family life - but screens are so ubiquitous these days (TV, phones, laptops, tablets, PSPs and Switches, etc.) that it almost seems impossible to get away from them. So, what is a parent to do, particularly in a field where research is quickly evolving (and occasionally conflicting)?
What experts are saying: Although some parents may be comfortable enforcing a "no screen time" rule in their homes, most parents will inevitably use screens for some peace and quiet at some point. The key, unsurprisingly, is moderation. One of my favorite quotes came from Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, president of the International Society of Infant Studies: "You have to think about screen time like dessert. It won't kill you, and you can have a nice relationship with strawberry ice cream, but you don't want to substitute it for dinner, or real-life interaction". So, what are some helpful guidelines as you start considering your family's relationship with screens?
What our faith says: Screen time wasn't an issue in the biblical world, but being able to live our best lives was! Screen time can be a creative and fun outlet for kids, but it can't function as the bulk of our free time... encourage kids to explore a variety of interests and passions, get out with their friends, and gain a breadth of experiences. Just like dessert, screen time can be a wonderful complement to our lives, but we will be our best when our lives are filled with healthier options too.
For further reading/reflection:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-does-screen-time-affect-kids-brains#The-bottom-line
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/27/tech/ipad-screen-time-kids/index.html
What experts are saying: Although some parents may be comfortable enforcing a "no screen time" rule in their homes, most parents will inevitably use screens for some peace and quiet at some point. The key, unsurprisingly, is moderation. One of my favorite quotes came from Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, president of the International Society of Infant Studies: "You have to think about screen time like dessert. It won't kill you, and you can have a nice relationship with strawberry ice cream, but you don't want to substitute it for dinner, or real-life interaction". So, what are some helpful guidelines as you start considering your family's relationship with screens?
- Set a clear target for your children's screentime, and stick to it. Most research seems to point in the direction of one hour being an appropriate amount of time (although less is recommended for toddlers and more is OK for older kids). That's not to say that you'll always hit that number perfectly, but at least there's a clear expectation for your kids. As you start dealing with resourceful older kids who will hide an iPad or phone in their room to play after lights out, it may be worth exploring ways in which you can cut wi-fi to your child's device after a certain hour (many home networks actually make this fairly easy), or by having a location where all family devices are stored at night (just be prepared to give yours up too!)
- Watch with your toddlers/preschoolers, and engage them with questions. Granted, most kids' programming drives us adults slightly insane, but being able to engage about what's on the screen helps teach them to critically think about what they're observing rather than passively receiving it. This isn't always possible - sometimes you need a good 15-20 minutes to shower or cook dinner! - but it's definitely best practice.
- Observe older children's usage, providing feedback if you see objectionable content. Although its important to give kids a bit of space to live their own lives, that doesn't mean that you need to give them complete free reign when it comes to social media, video games, or other content. It will behoove you to pay attention to what your child is posting on Facebook (not that many kids do that anymore!) or other sites. Some, like Snapchat, aren't exactly public - but that doesn't mean that you can't ask your kids about what they're posting, or remind them about how they need to be careful about what they are putting out into the world.
- Practice what you preach. This is probably the hardest part. If you set strict limits on your child's screen time but then powerbinge Netflix the first chance you get, it won't take long for them to catch on to your hypocrisy. Most of us are exposed to screens a ridiculous amount of our lives (particularly those of us at desk jobs) and we would all do well to try to find/set our own limits about how much screentime we have in our lives.
What our faith says: Screen time wasn't an issue in the biblical world, but being able to live our best lives was! Screen time can be a creative and fun outlet for kids, but it can't function as the bulk of our free time... encourage kids to explore a variety of interests and passions, get out with their friends, and gain a breadth of experiences. Just like dessert, screen time can be a wonderful complement to our lives, but we will be our best when our lives are filled with healthier options too.
For further reading/reflection:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-does-screen-time-affect-kids-brains#The-bottom-line
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/27/tech/ipad-screen-time-kids/index.html