Screen media is all around us: phones in our hands, iPads on our couches, televisions in every room and every public place we enter. Of course screen media has its benefits, such as high quality family programming, engaging kids in learning activities, sharing pictures and stories with friends and family far away. But it also has some pretty serious negative effects on our well being and on the healthy development of our children. As a parent and as an educator, I feel really concerned by the ways families are using screen time. More and more, I notice that parents seem more interested in their phones than in their children's activities, children seem more interested in youtube videos than engaging in real life play - even babies are watching screens rather than engaging socially with their parents! It really is harmful - not just because screen time replaces play time, exercise, healthy sleep, and healthy social interactions - but also because it literally changes the way a child's brain develops. A child who spends too much time on screen media may be irritable, have difficulty sleeping, have difficulty paying attention to learning tasks, and have poor social and play skills. All because of connections that have not developed or have developed in unhealthy ways within the brain. Take a moment to consider the amount of time and the quality of the time you and your child spend engaged in screen media use. And please consider the following guidelines:
-Children under the age of 2 should have very limited use of screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends no screen time for children this age! Babies should be making eye contact, moving, engaging in sensory experiences, and exploring their world in real life. - Children from the ages of 2-5 may have some screen use, but be very careful with both quantity and quality. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no more than 2 hours per day of total screen time for children in this age group, but most of this screen time should be "shared media engagement" in which a child and a caregiver or a child and peers are sharing enjoyment and interacting as part of the screen time. - Most screen time should be dedicated to high quality and/or educational programming, rather than "mindless" youtube videos or repetitive, overstimulating, or aggressive/violent games. - Look for television shows that you can enjoy with your child, content that uses high quality language, or videos of things that you typically cannot experience in your every day life, such as nature videos about sea life or faraway places. PBS has excellent programming for children, but even this should typically be enjoyed by parent and child together. - Avoid the "digital babysitter". Avoid letting your child have access to screen time by themselves, without time limits, and without supervision of the content. - Video chatting with loved ones? That is totally okay and does not need to be limited! For a child's brain, this is the same as face to face social interaction, and is totally healthy. - Ensure that your child has plenty of real-world experiences, community outings, sensory play, outside play, social interaction, and physical activity. All of these things are fun and promote healthy brain development! - Be a good role model for healthy screen use. Put your phone away whenever it is not truly needed. Be present with your child. Avoid mindlessly browsing, and use your own screens in purposeful ways. Set limits for the amount of time you use your phone. Designate screen free times of day, such as dinner time and car time. - Enjoy the benefits of reducing screen time! I promise that when you reduce screen time in your family, you increase other enjoyable things like playing together, getting outside together, getting active, and talking to each other more. You may notice your child's mood and play skills improve after just a few days of limited screen media use! And your child's brain development will thank you.
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AuthorHi, I'm Brie Krentz, and I'm the School Psychologist at HGECC. I care about the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health of all of our children, and I believe in Conscious Discipline as a way to minimize behavior problems and to help children connect meaningfully with others. Archives
October 2021
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