I think one of the hardest things about being a parent is the constant feeling like someone is judging you. Too much sugar in your kid’s diet. Not enough time with them. Too much time with them. Not enough time spent in the woods. Too much screen time.
Most of these boil down to parenting style with no good or bad decisions. That last one, though, screen time, is one that a lot of people struggle with at a visceral level. What you need to understand, however, is why professionals are recommending limiting screen time.
First, let’s talk about what constitutes as “screen time.” This includes TV, tablet games and videos, Netflix and other streaming services on devices, movies, Skype and other video chatting, and even those few respite moments of watching YouTube in the grocery store check out line (read: I’m a mom and I understand that need for Baby Shark).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has put out new recommendations on media and how infants, toddlers, and children interact and learn from screen time. The current research shows that children as young as 15 months can begin to learn new words from touch screen apps. Toddlers 24 months can learn new words from video chatting and from interactive games. However, toddlers learn from real-life play and social interaction. This means that what they watch on TV, they cannot relay into real life on their own. However, these toddlers can benefit from having a caretaker watch TV and play apps with them, discuss what they are watching, and reteach the content. Let me repeat: screen time can be good if an adult is helping the child digest the content.
Preschool media (think Sesame Street, Super Why) can be good for 3-5 year olds to teach a variety of academic skills (ex: letter recognition, site word reading, numbers), social/developmental needs (ex: social expectations, resilience, “grit”, impulse control), and childhood health needs (ex: obesity prevention, teaching to not fear health professionals). On a personal note, I would seriously fight anyone to say Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is the best show on TV right now! Some apps may also help with these skills; however, parents need to keep in mind that they need to be able to monitor the screen time and interact with their child to carryover these skills.
For older children and teenagers, screen time is obviously used in school as a learning aid. When was the last time you even saw a real-life encyclopedia? Social media platforms can also help to build friendships and even allow teens to make new friends they may never had to chance to meet based on personal interests.
So, if screen time can be so beneficial, why do we keep hearing about how bad it is? The answer lies in how much time our children are using media. The concern that the AAP presents is that screen time can affect time spent sleeping, mealtimes, and playing time. Real-life, 3D play time is so important to children as this helps them build not only fine motor skills (ex: playdoh, water tables), but also fine motor skills, social skills, and cognitive skills.
So, with all of this information, let’s look at the AAP’s recommendations for screen time based on age:
For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they're seeing.
For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
(https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new-recommendations-for-childrens-media-use.aspx)
If you are reading these recommendations and freaking out a little (like I did!), let’s remember that these are guidelines and should also be looked as an average. If you let your child watch a 2 hour movie, no one will storm into your house and tell you that you are a bad parent. What you can do is ask some questions to get a discussion going with your child about the movie. What was your favorite part? Who was your favorite character? How do you think the character felt when they had to do something hard? Etc.
Another thing you can do is set “no screen time” times (or days even). In my personal family, we try not to do any screen time when we have all been away from the house for school/daycare and work and we need some family time. This is hard not only for my 3 year old at times who JUST WANTS A LITTLE TV AND TO SEE HER FAVORITE DANIEL TIGER AND HIS SISTER MARGARET, but also for me if I want to wash the dishes or, you know, think for 5 minutes. What I do instead to get us all in a better mind space about no screens is I will put on a favorite playlist and dance with the kids while I wash dishes. I bring some toys into the kitchen and talk with them while using those special mom eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head. Or, I strap my one year old on my back and take them for a walk.
Now, let’s say that you are reading these guidelines and thinking that there is absolutely no way that you can cut down the screen time in your house that much. Or let’s say that even with limiting screen time, you are concerned that your child isn’t talking as much or as clearly as their peers. This is an area in which a professional such as a speech pathologist can help you. Not only can we perform a complementary speech, language, and hearing screening for your child here at Rehabilitation Specialists, but we can also give you techniques in which to engage your child more in social and language activities throughout the day.
Please, again, do not take this post as me trying to shame you in any way. Again, I get it. I just wanted to write this in case there were any parents out there who may have needed more information on current guidelines and why they are so limiting, especially looking at our information-driven society. So, relax, take stock in how you can engage your child with their screen time and in real life, and contact us if you have any other questions or concerns. Until next time!
Kathleen
More information:
https://blog.asha.org/2018/02/26/help-families-find-a-screen-time-balance/
Most of these boil down to parenting style with no good or bad decisions. That last one, though, screen time, is one that a lot of people struggle with at a visceral level. What you need to understand, however, is why professionals are recommending limiting screen time.
First, let’s talk about what constitutes as “screen time.” This includes TV, tablet games and videos, Netflix and other streaming services on devices, movies, Skype and other video chatting, and even those few respite moments of watching YouTube in the grocery store check out line (read: I’m a mom and I understand that need for Baby Shark).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has put out new recommendations on media and how infants, toddlers, and children interact and learn from screen time. The current research shows that children as young as 15 months can begin to learn new words from touch screen apps. Toddlers 24 months can learn new words from video chatting and from interactive games. However, toddlers learn from real-life play and social interaction. This means that what they watch on TV, they cannot relay into real life on their own. However, these toddlers can benefit from having a caretaker watch TV and play apps with them, discuss what they are watching, and reteach the content. Let me repeat: screen time can be good if an adult is helping the child digest the content.
Preschool media (think Sesame Street, Super Why) can be good for 3-5 year olds to teach a variety of academic skills (ex: letter recognition, site word reading, numbers), social/developmental needs (ex: social expectations, resilience, “grit”, impulse control), and childhood health needs (ex: obesity prevention, teaching to not fear health professionals). On a personal note, I would seriously fight anyone to say Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is the best show on TV right now! Some apps may also help with these skills; however, parents need to keep in mind that they need to be able to monitor the screen time and interact with their child to carryover these skills.
For older children and teenagers, screen time is obviously used in school as a learning aid. When was the last time you even saw a real-life encyclopedia? Social media platforms can also help to build friendships and even allow teens to make new friends they may never had to chance to meet based on personal interests.
So, if screen time can be so beneficial, why do we keep hearing about how bad it is? The answer lies in how much time our children are using media. The concern that the AAP presents is that screen time can affect time spent sleeping, mealtimes, and playing time. Real-life, 3D play time is so important to children as this helps them build not only fine motor skills (ex: playdoh, water tables), but also fine motor skills, social skills, and cognitive skills.
So, with all of this information, let’s look at the AAP’s recommendations for screen time based on age:
For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they're seeing.
For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
(https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/american-academy-of-pediatrics-announces-new-recommendations-for-childrens-media-use.aspx)
If you are reading these recommendations and freaking out a little (like I did!), let’s remember that these are guidelines and should also be looked as an average. If you let your child watch a 2 hour movie, no one will storm into your house and tell you that you are a bad parent. What you can do is ask some questions to get a discussion going with your child about the movie. What was your favorite part? Who was your favorite character? How do you think the character felt when they had to do something hard? Etc.
Another thing you can do is set “no screen time” times (or days even). In my personal family, we try not to do any screen time when we have all been away from the house for school/daycare and work and we need some family time. This is hard not only for my 3 year old at times who JUST WANTS A LITTLE TV AND TO SEE HER FAVORITE DANIEL TIGER AND HIS SISTER MARGARET, but also for me if I want to wash the dishes or, you know, think for 5 minutes. What I do instead to get us all in a better mind space about no screens is I will put on a favorite playlist and dance with the kids while I wash dishes. I bring some toys into the kitchen and talk with them while using those special mom eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head. Or, I strap my one year old on my back and take them for a walk.
Now, let’s say that you are reading these guidelines and thinking that there is absolutely no way that you can cut down the screen time in your house that much. Or let’s say that even with limiting screen time, you are concerned that your child isn’t talking as much or as clearly as their peers. This is an area in which a professional such as a speech pathologist can help you. Not only can we perform a complementary speech, language, and hearing screening for your child here at Rehabilitation Specialists, but we can also give you techniques in which to engage your child more in social and language activities throughout the day.
Please, again, do not take this post as me trying to shame you in any way. Again, I get it. I just wanted to write this in case there were any parents out there who may have needed more information on current guidelines and why they are so limiting, especially looking at our information-driven society. So, relax, take stock in how you can engage your child with their screen time and in real life, and contact us if you have any other questions or concerns. Until next time!
Kathleen
More information:
https://blog.asha.org/2018/02/26/help-families-find-a-screen-time-balance/
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