Considering the current climate of the ever-increasing lure of
gadgets and screens, and our own attraction to screens via smart phones, pads,
computers, laptops, games, as well as the social media phenomena that surrounds
us, I believe it timely and important to discuss.
We all know that technology is here to stay, and according to the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
“more than 30% of American children are introduced to mobile devices
while they are still wearing diapers, and almost 75% of teenagers have
smartphones.” These are high statistics
and are guaranteed to grow as time passes.
Just recently the World Health Organization
(WHO) weighed in on the screen dilemma and issued a new set of guidelines for
children and screen time. (NYTIMES April 24, 2019) Their recommendation is that
infants under one year should not be exposed to electronic screens, and that
children between the ages of 2 and 4 should not have more than one hour of
“sedentary screen time” each day. The
bottom line here is that eliminating and limiting screen time under the age of
5 will result in healthier adults. We
know that exercise and sleep play an important role too in this healthy outcome,
and for now I am addressing the screen dilemma.
If we
examine our own screen time habits it should come as no surprise that new
guidelines are recommended. Our phones and pads are constantly at hand and live
with us almost 24 hours a day. They
interrupt our own conversation, our work, our driving, our sleep, and our
family time. Let’s think about that in
terms of young children’s screen time exposure.
Studies already show that screen time has negative effects on brain
development and language acquisition. The first three years of life are most
important to a child’s brain development and the impact of overstimulating
screens, movement, colors, and noise can impact the normal development of the
brain; the more exposure to rapid stimulation such as this, the greater the
desire to have it.
At our school we do not have screens in our classrooms for our
younger population. They already have a
plethora of hands-on activities, social interactions, and engage in real life
play daily. Our Kindergarten students
are exposed to interactive work with a smart board as part of their curriculum,
they learn how to keyboard, and they use an iPad or laptop to do research and
apply learned skills. We believe this
exposure is both age and time appropriate.
However, because of the growing technology phenomena parents think
their children may be left behind if they do not learn at an early age. Therefore, it is reasonable for parents to
question the use of technology in our school and in their homes. One thing you can be sure of, young people
catch onto technology as fast as it is put into play, and thus we know they
will never be left behind on the technology end. What we must keep in mind is
that for young children real learning comes from two-way human interactions.
As children grow and the exposure and draw become more intense,
keeping them away from screens becomes more challenging. What can parents do to navigate this
ever-changing complex journey?
Here are some suggestions:
·
When you allow screen time make sure you have
a plan that will work for your family
·
As with most of your expectations set limits,
children seek them and work best when they have them
·
Know what your child is watching or games he
is playing; do your own research on what is appropriate for your child’s age
use a media rating system to help: (www.commonsensemedia.org)
·
Be present and engage with children during
their screen time, remember two-way conversations are vital for language
development
·
Keep quality versus quantity in mind
·
Do not allow screen time within one hour of
bedtime, screens should not be in your child’s bedroom, screens can interfere
with sleep
·
Be a role model, limit your own use,
especially around your children
·
Screen time can be a lost opportunity for
real time learning
·
Encourage play without screens; help your
children choose healthier play options, walking, hiking, gardening
·
Engage your children in other ways, reading
together,
playing board games, doing puzzles
playing board games, doing puzzles
·
Screen time should not be used to calm or
distract a child, children need to learn to self sooth
·
Turn off all devices during meal times and
turn off screens when no one is watching them
Technology is unavoidable and part of everyday life, but like the
old adages, “everything in moderation” and “less is more” should help.
For more information on the WHO’s recent recommendations on screen
time go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/health/screen-time-kids.html
