Screen Time and Children’s Health
. Posted in Culture, Parent-Child Advice - 0 Comments
Boston Tutoring Services has covered the issues of overuse and misuse of technology in education and parenting, but we have not yet delved into the childhood and adolescent health and development component. Many parents, educators, and health experts wonder, Does excessive screen time affect brain development in children? Does it matter if the media is educational or entertainment? And how do parents mediate proper screen time?
The American Academy of Pediatrics has some answers. In an interview with NPR’s Anya Kamentez, David Hill, chairman of the AAP Council on Communications and Media and a member of the AAP Children, Adolescents and Media Leadership Working Group, opened up about new discoveries on childhood mental health and media use.
Hill expresses the sentiment that many share in today’s ever-changing technological landscape: screen exposure, even for infants, is inevitable. However, many in educational circles believe that learning online (interactive media) and watching epic fail videos on YouTube (non-interactive media) are extremely different ways of using media–one with positive effects on children’s learning, one with negative. Some also contend that in reducing too much educational media use, students will fall behind in our tech-obsessed culture, society, and business world.
Nonetheless, Hill disputes the notion that “not all media is created equal.” He thinks that physicians, policymakers, teachers, and parents alike should remain open to studies on educational media that expose its negative effect on children and adolescent development. In his interview with NPR, Hill talks about a recent study on “educational” toys (interactive media) for infants: “The results surprised even the researchers,” he said, “showing that toys that talk and sing, light up and play music interfere with learning rather than contributing to it.”
Ultimately, the conversation on children’s media use, especially in educational circles, is controversial and complex. Scientists continue to conduct research on negative and positive effects, both short-term and long-term, but the data is oftentimes conflicting. This may leave parents or guardians feeling helpless, to which Hill offers advice.
To Hill, a simple but methodical approach works best. Be a good role model, he says. Put the phone away at dinner. Engage with your children after they have ridden their bike or colored and ask why they enjoyed that activity. Situate them in the joys and struggles of the real world so that they can make those connections.
Finally, involve them in the decision making over appropriate electronic media use. Ask them what they think a healthy amount of screen time might look like, and guide them in deciding what the consequences should be for not following the protocol. In the end, the Academy can recommend proper use, but if a child has access to digital media at home, it needs to be incorporated in a healthy way into their daily life. Media exposure is a part of their world, so it’s up to you to discuss the proper balance with them and continue to do your research.
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