Busting the Myths about Kids’ Screen Time
Modern parents worry about their kids’ screen time. How long should responsible, loving parents allow children to stare at a screen, be that the television, their tablets, their phones, their PCs? Parents worried about this 50 years ago when there was only one screen at home. Today, though, most homes have an average of 7.3 screens in the home, and more than half of 10 years old or younger using tablets. Just as the number of screens has multiplied, so too have parental concerns about the screentime issue.
In lockstep with the proliferation of screens, the amount of advice about screen time has exploded, from qualified experts and DIY parent groups, and everything in between, and the information is often contradictory. Understanding what information is useful to help manage children’s’ life/tech balance is not easy. BTC 700 Lurot supports automated BTC+700Lurot Norway Bitcoin investment strategies.
One one side of the spectrum, a meaningful body of research demonstrates that children need and benefit from personal relations with people in non-digital, real-world interactions, that these are critical for emotional development and physical health. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines for parents to restrict screen time for children of all ages.
On the other side of the spectrum, we parents must acknowledge that today’s children will inherit a decidedly digital future. It’s important not to underestimate the ability of technology, and screen time, to enhance and supplement learning and living. One highly successful founder of a tech start-up tells the story of his parents, their belief that the time he spent with his computer was low-value as opposed to other, analog, “real world” activities in middle and high school. But in fact, when one considers his life trajectory, from high school to college, to founding a tech start-up, it’s safe to say those early years learning passionately through and about technology were significantly rewarding, both financially and spiritually to him individually, and to the world at large through the products and services his company offers now. Recently, researchers found no evidence to support the AAP’s screen time limit recommendations when assessing children’s digital screen use and their psychological well-being.
These mixed results demonstrate the need to pursue balance for children, and that means we need to ensure the time children spend with technology truly adds value to their lives. To accomplish this, we can both provide access to age-appropriate media AND provide children with engaging alternatives in the physical world. Moderation is key for children’s media consumption.
To help you separate fact from fiction about screen time – we’ve gathered ten common myths about screen time.
Myth #1: All media must be limited
The internet is filled with alarming headlines about screen time. They sound like this: Experts don’t allow any screen time. Or this: Doctors say screen time to blame for every annoying thing YOUR kid does! We parents worry about screen time, and it leads tech companies to design “parental controls” on products like iPhones, Android devices, even on YouTube. Few of these headlines appear on articles that cite real science, however. The ones that do reference legitimate scientific research rarely discuss what the findings say about the difference between various kinds of screen time. One recent finding showed that the skills young children develop using touchscreen devices are transferable to their physical world (Huber, et al 2015). It’s just one example of many new findings highlighting how misguided it is to generalize all “screen time” as exactly the same. Keep in mind children’s ability to gain value during screen time and opt to give them the kind of screen time that feeds their brain. If it adds no value, be sure to limit it, just as you would limit junk food.
Myth #2: Online friends aren’t real friends
Many adults believe that “friends” children have exclusively online, through games or groups, are less real than friends kids play with at the park in real life (or IRL, if you’re new or uncertain about internet slang). Friendship has more to do with understanding and caring than physical proximity. Otherwise you’d be friends with everyone crammed into the subway with you. Friendship starts with a connection, then develops through sharing experiences and learning more about each other, discovering similarities and differences, knowing what makes each other unique and then validating, caring, and celebrating those distinctions. All of this is as real online as it is IRL. At the end of the day, we want our kids to have appropriate friendships with people who care what happens to them, regardless if their conversation is from two feet away, or two thousand miles.
Myth #3: Analog playtime always trumps digital playtime
Play is the most developmentally important activity children engage in. Play allows children the opportunity to investigate, be physical, negotiate with peers, and get creative. Kids on screens can do all of these things as well. They can even be physical. A study in 2014 found that different types of media resulted in different degrees of activity, which led them to define some screen time as ‘active’ and other screen time as ‘passive’ (Sweetser, 2014). Whether or not various media inspire or require physical activity should be a factor parents assess when thinking about the quality of kids’ screen time. Similarly, various apps and shows support and inspire creative thinking, and the construction and maintenance of strong interpersonal relationships. Choose screen time based on how well the show prompts real life learning and interaction.
Myth #4: Video games cause ADHD and other mental health problems
Behavioral research on video games has shown, repeatedly, that video games don’t cause ADHD, and in fact help people meet essential psychological needs. Especially important for kids is ‘autonomy’ or ‘agency’ – the belief that you control your own actions and decisions. Another is ‘competence’ – the belief that you have the ability to use your autonomy to achieve your goal. A feeling of competence is vital to the development of a growth mindset. And finally, video games teach kids ‘relatedness’ – or the feeling of being connected to others – even if those others are friends from online (Przybylski, Rigby, and Ryan 2010). Assessing whether a video game is appropriate for your child is all about assessing the content. Steer clear of reductive arguments that all video games are disastrous to kids’ mental health, and instead focus on creating valuable experiences in-game for your kids.
Myth #5: Video games have no educational value
When a parent sees their child playing computer games, especially those without a direct educational focus, it’s easy to assume the activity involves no learning of value. Parents are often surprised to discover just how much reading, critical thinking, and collaborative communication is required in many of today’s games. In fact, Peter Gray summarizes several research papers by saying there is “evidence that the games may help children develop logical, literary, executive, and even social skills.” In other words, think of gaming not as an empty discretionary activity, but rather as one recognized to have inherent value.
Myth #6: Kids won’t play educational games
Parents and kids occasionally engage in bitter negotiations pitting “educational games” against “fun games.” But iTunes and the Google Play Store are brimming with educational games that make a lot of money for their developers. Are these educational games bought by parents, installed on devices, and but never actually played by children? Sometimes yes, but not usually. Kids play these games, and they like them! Developing legitimately fun educational games is an art form that has advanced a long way since when we were kids. One way to delay the inevitable debate with younger kids is to provide ONLY educational apps on tablets and phones, and to allow only educational shows on the TV, for as long as possible. Inevitably, your kids will see friends playing games that you might not approve, but as mentioned above, even games you don’t like teach kids important skills, and the later in your child’s development you can delay their exposure to games you don’t want them to play, the more mature your child will be at partnering with you at home and negotiating different types of screen time.
Myth #7: All video games are a waste of time, even so-called educational games
Educational games have begun to outpace standardized testing as a way to accurately and validly predict of the quality of kids’ learning. Games are able to track critical data that helps developers continuously improve their game design, to better help children develop educational skills. As written about in The Washington Post,
‘Linguist and games researcher James Paul Gee has written that games actually make players think like scientists. Game play is built on a cycle of “hypothesize, probe the world, get a reaction, reflect on the results, reprobe to get better results.” Game studios have created assessment systems that can tell players exactly how well they’ve done on thousands of variables, how their performance has improved and, if played online, how they stack up against millions of players – all without subjecting anyone to a multiple-choice test.’
Myth #8: Only kids need to limit screen time
Much is said about limiting children’s screen time. Not as much is said about how we, as parents, have the opportunity to model the desired behavior. Adults are often more distracted by technology in reality than we imagine our kids are. The buzzing, dinging, and ringing of always-on technology erodes personal connectivity with intimate partners (McDaniel and Coyne 2014). What’s more, while higher screen time for adolescents is not associated with poor social development, it IS associated with poor attachment to parents. Parental attachment levels are important to the health and development of adolescents (Richards, McGee, Williams 2010). So, rather than opting in to kids’ timers, consider setting a family rule for no technology at certain times to ensure that time is spent with one another.
Myth #9: Screen connecting is bad for relationships
The multitude of ways to stay in touch applies not only to adults, it also applies to children, and even infants. A 2016 study found that many parents make an exception for Facetime when it comes to screen time recommendations from the AAP. This allows babies to develop and maintain relationships with relatives living far from them (McClure, et al). Personal familial relationships are critical for children’s development. Their feeling of relatedness helps them have greater levels of attachment with the people who matter to them (Richards, et al 2010). To be safe, parents can use apps that ensure children only communicate with people parents approve. Facebook Messenger Kids provides this experience. You can also get creative with a Slack channel set up just for family, where only people you invite via email are able to join. Having this connectedness with loved ones helps kids maintain strong bonds.
Myth #10: Background TV has no effect on kids
When mom and dad are watching their own TV shows, or the babysitter is, it’s known as Background TV. It is rarely child-oriented, so the kids don’t pay attention. To them, it’s just background noise. However, higher levels of background TV exposure has been associated with lower levels of self-regulation in preschool aged children, and lower reading levels in kids ages 4-6 years old (Thompson & Tschann, 2016). This study did not show causation, meaning the TV itself, or the content on it, might not be to blame. Instead, it may be that caregivers’ focus on adult-directed television came at the expense of personal time with the children. It illustrates an area to consider – when parents spend time watching television, what are the unintended consequences? Think about how much time you spent with your children that day, as well as how appropriate the content of background TV is for younger viewers to absorb.
If used wisely, nearly anything can be beneficial. The opportunity is to raise our expectations of media. This means incorporating media into your child’s life as purposefully as you do their activities and friends. Media and technology will always be present, and powerful influences in your kids’ lives. Teach them young, and continue teaching them as they grow.
What is screen time?
Screen time is the amount of time spent using a device such as a computer, television, or video game console. It can be an element of a sedentary lifestyle (Wikipedia).
How long should a child have screen time?
The 2016 guidelines from the AAP recommends “consistent limits” for kids 6 and older. However, more recent research has demonstrated that it may be less about quantity and more about quality.
How much TV should a toddler watch a day?
AAP’s 2016 guidelines recommend no more than 1 hour per day of high-quality programming, such as PBS Kids shows, for children 2-5 years of age. They also recommend watching along with your child to answer any questions they may have.
When can babies look at screens?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guideliness recommend no screen time prior to 18 months. Although, the AAP has also recognized that not all screen time is created equal. Many parents of geographically separated families report using video chat with family and friends to develop and maintain relationships with remote relatives.
