Is All Screen Time Treated the Same?
Is All Screen Time Treated the Same?
Types of Screen Time, their Effect and Guidance for Management
In this newsletter, we provide you with notes on How to Find a Balance with Screen Time, an episode of Talking Sense with Dr. Martha.
Host Dr. Martha is a clinical psychologist and a mother. She puts a thought-provoking lens on child behavior that all parents witness every day and helps to support you and your child.
Read our notes below.
Topics Covered in this Summary
Types of Screen Time and their Effect
Recommendations and Guidelines for Screen Time
Types of Screen Time and their Effect
As adults, we know that screen time can consist of several different things. Many of us use computers at work or for studying, we watch television, and we use smartphones or other touch devices. This is similar for children; different types of exposure to screens have different effects.
The categories are as follows:
Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, and listening to music. We sit and get sucked into our screens without interacting with those around us.
Interactive consumption: playing games and browsing the internet. It’s where we interact with the real world through our devices.
It's really important that we look at the variety of input our child is getting from a screen, and the one that we want to shrink as much as possible is the passive type of screen time.
Research shows that when children don't have access to screens for bedtime, they sleep about an hour more, and one of the things that screens don't do is teach children language.
If children are prioritizing screens over anything else like face-to-face interaction, socializing with their peers, or doing something as a family, that’s a clue that they’re having too much screen time, and there should be limits.
Children may protest, but our job is to support their emotional regulation and help them get a sense of when screens are available to them and when they're not.
Recommendations and Guidelines for Screen Time
With electronics being such a big part of our culture, it is appropriate to set limits for our kids.
Here are some of the recommended guidelines from pediatricians:
Under 2 years old: Zero screen time, except for video chatting with family or friends
2-5 years old: No more than one hour per day co-viewing with a parent or sibling
5-17 years old: Generally no more than two hours per day, except for homework
Other proactive steps for parents to take include:
Screen-free bedrooms: There should be no screens in the bedroom, and children generally shouldn’t view a screen for two hours before bedtime. The reason is a screen’s blue light can prevent the brain from knowing when it’s time to get ready for sleep. Instead of watching TV before bed, kids should engage in other activities, such as reading.
Fill the void (initially): If you need to cut back on your child’s screen time, don’t leave them to figure out what to do with that free time. Replace it with something positive, such as outdoor sports or other activities.
Most importantly, it's about finding a balance that works for your child and that works for you as a family.
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Listen to the original episode