{"id":3317,"date":"2015-03-09T12:03:35","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T19:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lifeandhealth.wordifysites.com\/?p=3317"},"modified":"2021-11-11T09:36:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T17:36:01","slug":"technology-and-children-should-screen-time-be-limited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/lifestyle\/technology-and-children-should-screen-time-be-limited\/123317.html","title":{"rendered":"Children and Technology: Should Kids’ Screen Time Be Limited?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time I had to take both kids with me to my doctor\u2019s appointment I vowed I\u2019d never do it again. We waited over 30 minutes in the exam room. By the time the physician finally walked in, my kids had distributed the contents of the exam table cupboards evenly across the floor, twice sent the mobile stool crashing into the opposing wall, unrolled the exam table covering, and sung the alphabet song multiple times at full volume. As the doctor walked in, a fight erupted over who would sit by momma. Then, while I was being examined, they decided it would be a good time to roll on the floor across the room. I was finally able to slink out\u2014definitely in worse health than when I\u2019d arrived.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, I had a follow-up appointment. The babysitter I\u2019d lined up had to cancel, my husband couldn\u2019t get off work, my mom couldn\u2019t come over, and I found myself once more in the tiny exam room with two children in tow trying to entertain them for an ill-defined period of time. This time, however, I tried a new tactic. I gave them each an old iPhone. My husband and I had recently upgraded and I\u2019d hung on to the old ones since they had no trade in value. I decided to bring them along and see if they would entertain the kids. I hadn\u2019t installed any games onto either of them, but hoped they\u2019d enjoy just getting to hold a once forbidden object. I hit a jackpot. The kids were entranced. In fact, they stayed fixated to the phones for more than an hour, not even looking up when the doctor walked into the room. By the time the appointment was finished, my two and four year old children had become iPhone navigational experts.<\/p>\n

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has released a very strong statement on screen time (i.e. television, video games, smartphones and tablets). They advocate no screen time for children less than 2 years old and less than 2 hours\/day of screen time for children 2 years and older.[1]<\/sup> More and more research is demonstrating the potential developmental harm with even so called \u201ceducational\u201d programs. Even the brainy \u201cBaby Einstein\u201d videos may decrease vocabulary by 6-8 words for every hour watched per day![2]<\/sup> Screen time can be detrimental to older children as well and has been linked with obesity, decreased physical activity, depression, and anxiety.[3][4]<\/sup><\/p>\n

With all the research showing the detrimental effects of screen time, how have parents reacted? According to a New York Times article published just five years ago, despite a decade of research showing the harmful effects of media, more children are using media than ever before![5]<\/sup> The reason, as always, is multi-factorial. However, one prominent component is the instant \u201cshut-up\u201d such media provides. I\u2019ve experienced this myself. Instead of peeling my kids off the walls at a doctor\u2019s office, I can now hand them a multimedia device, and poof! They almost disappear while happily playing in zombie-like tranquility.<\/p>\n

However nice this sounds, allowing my children to escape into a world of technology, is not teaching them real-life skills such as self-control, contentment, self-efficacy, or creativity, to name just a few. Nor is it encouraging interaction with others. Greetings are unacknowledged, siblings are ignored, and parents are relegated to the role of \u201cmaster technician\u201d with their presence only being acknowledged when a game component doesn\u2019t function properly.<\/p>\n

The promiscuity of media makes it very difficult to limit. Everywhere you go, turn, visit, multimedia is available. Again for many of the same reasons, it allows people an escape from the current situation (at the dentist\u2019s waiting for a filling, waiting for an oil change, flying on an airplane, etc.). This is very concerning, especially in light of new data showing the detrimental effects of media on adult brains: decreasing concentration, memory, and test scores.[6][7]<\/sup><\/p>\n

Knowing something is detrimental and changing one’s behavior because of this knowledge are two separate steps. Many people, for example, know smoking isn\u2019t good but still continue to smoke. There has to be a systems-based approach for changing the amount of screen time we (and our children) have exposure to. One first step would be to analyze how much screen time you and your child have per day. Make a list of all media devices and log how many minutes is spent on each device in a 24-hour period. Do this for a couple of days and average it out. Figure out which device seems to lead to the most screen time and then try creative strategies to replace it with something else. A simple google search for \u201chow to limit screen time\u201d will lead to multiple websites with excellent ideas. Some examples include:<\/p>\n