I have had a fascination with media for as long as I can remember - loving movies, television, games, comic books and more. So it should be no surprise that I have been excited to share these things with my son. But as a parent I find myself asking “how is this affecting him”?
There are few parenting issues as talked about and divisive as the “screen time” debate.
“How much time should my child be allowed to sit in front of a screen?”
“Is my child too young to see a screen?”
“Will screen time delay cognitive development?”
While I am not a developmental psychologist or neuroscientist, I am a media designer who cares about how my work impacts those who interact with it. After reading several books and studies on the subject, I want to share what I’ve found and my screen time strategy.
The Big One and Correlation vs Causation
In 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics released children’s media guidelines that still reverberate through parenting talk today. These guidelines, which I have dubbed “The Big One” were highly controversial not only because of the strict guidelines, but also because of the surprising lack of data or evidence the AAP provided to back up the recommendations.
Among these controversial guidelines was a recommendation that “pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of two years.” This was often misquoted or characterized into “NO media exposure for children under two”. These guidelines sent such a shockwave through screen time concerned parent communities that it is not uncommon to hear them quoted almost 20 years later (nevermind the AAP released revised guidelines in 2009 clarifying and loosening restrictions).
The Big One and subsequent studies are almost always focused on the correlation between increased screen-based media consumption and deficiencies in cognitive and academic development (reading, math, socialization, etc…). The problem in this case is that correlation does not equal causation.
While there are numerous studies saying excessive screen time can be linked to reduced language and interpersonal skills, it may not be the screen itself that is doing the damage, but rather the lack of time for other stimulation. Translated: If you spend all of your time watching a screen and don’t bother to read, you may struggle with reading. So there is a correlation between screen time and trouble with reading, but not necessarily causation. Another example: If your child spent all of their time quietly bouncing a ball alone, you could expect similar deficiencies in language and social skills.
The key with any of these studies is to understand their methodologies and whether the findings are correlations or causations. Once you understand that, you can use the data for your family’s benefit.
Popular Strategies
With so many studies and “experts” and blogs, how do you form a successful strategy? What are other strategies? The following are a few of the most common strategies that I have found.
Waldorf Education
Waldorf Education(sometimes called Steiner Education) is an educational philosophy that places an emphasis on imagination and creativity to develop a student’s academic and artistic life. Waldorf adherents believe that electronic media “ seriously hampers the development of the child’s imagination - a faculty which is believed to be central to the healthy development of the individual”. Because of this, Waldorf households are strongly encouraged to ditch their televisions and severely restrict their child’s screen time.
Waldorf fans argue that a lack of electronic stimulation leads to more-focused, holistic individuals. They specifically point to need for less “screen time” and more “green time” (time spent outside walking, playing, running and hiking).
Background Television: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from our Waldorf friends are our neighbors who seemingly always have a screen on. From my research this is less of a philosophy than just a preference (“I like to have background noise” is a common refrain I hear from backgrounders).
Moderation
The “Moderators” are those who set guidelines (strong or loose) for their family’s viewing habits. The vast majority of our nation falls into this category.
I often hear parents say “Our children are allowed 1 hour of television a school night” or “We only watch educational television during the week. Things get a little looser on the weekends.”
Much of this strategy seems to stem from a belief that media can be a valuable part of a person’s life, but it must remain a part of a larger well-round whole.
Unlimited Screen Time
A more recent trend in screen time philosophy comes in the form of “unlimited screen time“ - in which the child uses their best judgement (within certain limits) to determine what and how much they will experience.
Proponents argue that the often cited negative effects of screen time (diminished social skills, lack of focus, inability to engage, etc…) are completely off-base. They assert that screen time is just a modern platform for building social skills and engaging with others. Kenneth Goldsmith writes “I read how the internet has made us antisocial, how we’ve lost the ability to have a conversation. But when I see people with their devices, all I see is people communicating with one another: texting, chatting, IM’ing. And I have to wonder, In what way is this not social? A conversation broken up into short bursts and quick emoticons is still a conversation. Watch someone’s face while they’re in the midst of a rapid-fire text message exchange: It’s full of human emotion and expression—anticipation, laughter, affect.”
My Thoughts
Screen Time Can Have Value
Television, games and other digital media provide an opportunity to explore our world and connect with a variety of wide variety of people. Often in the news we are told the stories of people who use these platforms to abuse and degrade others, but while these actions are deplorable they do not make up the majority.
Do you send text messages to friends and family to share your love? I’d call that a great use of screen time.
Do you make new friends by playing digital games? Again, a great use of screen time.
Have you watched a television show or movie to learn more about a subject you are interested in? Sounds like valuable screen time to me.
Set Some Standards
I don’t think I am quite ready to embrace the idea of unlimited screen time with my four year old. I say this from both a cognitive development point of view and a “my incredibly energetic son needs exercise and “green time” otherwise he will be bouncing off the walls all afternoon” point of view.
My wife and I set standards for our son - on school nights we limit him to two 20 minute episodes of educational programming per evening. Weekends are a little more fluid - if we spend the morning at the swimming pool and library, I don’t mind him watching a movie after lunch and perhaps an episode of something after dinner.
While the standards can shift, we find that making our media limits clear before engaging is key. For example, we will tell him before we start: “We are watching one episode and then you can play with your toys.” Sharing this makes transitioning between media and other experiences much smoother.
Make Good Media Choices
In the debate about screen time the focus always seems to fall on the quantity, not the quality.
I have written earlier about my standards for picking high-quality children’s media and I think this is as (if not more) important that the “time” debate. Ask yourself: “Which is more detrimental to a pre-schooler - half an hour of a graphic and violent television program or three hours of Sesame Street?” While I don’t necessarily have data to support my response, I know I would rather have my son watching hours of Sesame Street than a violent series created for adults.
Enjoy Together
I believe that engaging with media as a family is one of the most important, yet under talked-about aspects of the screen time debate. When we engage with media as a family we are able to have a more focused, valuable experience that can connect us outside of that media. When we engage together we can discuss what we just watched or played or experienced so that we can carry the perspective into our everyday lives.
Why do you think that character reacted that way?
What would you do if you were in that situation?
What do you think we can learn from what we just watched?
But watching together is also a chance to understand one another and bond. It is easy to dismiss a child watching online makeup tutorials as being trivial or a teenagers spending hours playing games as being immature - but these experiences have engaged users for a reason. When we engage together we are taking the time to say:
I am interested in what interests you.
Help me to understand why you like this.
I want you to know that what you value matters to me.
In our world time is one of the most valuable commodities we have. Taking time to explore someone else’s interest is a wonderful way to say: “You matter to me.”
Understand Who The Messenger Is
As mentioned earlier, there are many opinions on this debate. I suggest that you do your own research and reach the decision that is best for you and your child.
But when doing this research be sure to know who is sharing their opinion and their background. For example: I often hear parents say something to the effect of “Well Steve Jobs helped to invent smartphones and tablets and he wouldn’t let his children use one! So I won’t either!”
My problem with this statement is that while Steve Jobs was a brilliant UX designer and salesman, he wasn’t a developmental psychologist or neuroscientist. He had never tested these theories. (It’s been reported that early in life he didn’t bathe or use deodorant as he was convinced his “perfect” diet would alleviate the need to do so. Others, apparently able to smell something Steve did not, disagreed.)
Moral of the story: Just because someone is brilliant at one thing, doesn’t mean they know about every subject. You need to do your own research and understand the source.