# Promoting Healthy Screen Time for Children: Quality Over Quantity
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Chapter 1: Understanding Screen Time Dynamics
Let’s explore the impact of screen time through a few examples.
Consider three children who each spend two hours on screens.
- Child A dedicates two hours to designing animal graphics on Canva for their website, also researching various animal facts.
- Child B invests the same amount of time watching YouTube tutorials on drawing anime characters and practices using a drawing app.
- Child C spends two hours aimlessly scrolling through TikTok and watching random YouTube videos.
If we merely looked at the amount of time spent on screens, it would appear that all three children are engaging equally, clocking in at two hours each. However, the reality is different: Children A and B are participating in creative and cognitive activities, whereas Child C is engaging in passive screen time.
This distinction is why I prioritize the quality of screen time over its quantity for my own child and my students. Below are five compelling reasons for other parents to consider the same approach.
Section 1.1: The Benefits of Active Screen Time
To begin, let’s clarify what "active screen time" entails.
Active screen time refers to engaging both the mind and body while using screens, encompassing activities that require thought and movement. This can be divided into five main categories:
- Creating: Producing videos, designing graphics, or writing blogs.
- Communicating: Interacting with friends, commenting on posts, and expressing opinions.
- Learning: Watching educational videos, listening to podcasts, and conducting research.
- Challenging: Solving puzzles, quizzes, and playing word games.
- Exercising: Participating in active video games.
All these activities offer cognitive benefits and help prepare children for future challenges. Even though my three-year-old son tends to play rather than engage interactively with screens, I teach my high school students about the value of active screen time. I often overlook the time spent on my phone because I know I engage in mostly active screen time—playing word games, researching parenting tips, and connecting with friends through texts and podcasts.
As long as we guide our children to take breaks from screens, assess their feelings about screen time, and prioritize human connections over digital ones, there’s no need to feel guilty about longer periods of active screen engagement. However, it is crucial that children under ten have limited screen time, even if it's interactive.
Section 1.2: The Detriments of Passive Screen Time
In contrast, passive screen time can lead to several negative outcomes.
Passive screen time is characterized by mindless engagement, such as endlessly scrolling through social media, binge-watching videos, or using devices to alleviate boredom. This type of usage can result in challenges like emotional regulation difficulties, shorter attention spans, sleep issues, eye strain, increased obesity risks, altered brain function, impaired social skills, and lower self-esteem.
When considering both active and passive screen time, I would prefer my child to engage in several hours of active screen time rather than a couple of hours of passive consumption.
Chapter 2: The Importance of Screen Type and Content
In the first video, "How to Limit Screen Time for Kids," parents can learn strategies to manage their children's screen use effectively.
The second video, "Navigating the World of iPad Kids: A Parent's Guide to Healthy Screen Time," provides insights into helping children engage positively with screens.
Section 2.1: The Impact of Screen Type
The type of screen children use is more significant than merely the time spent on it. Watching a 30-minute TV show on a large screen is preferable to the same duration on a smartphone or tablet.
Experts agree that co-viewing TV shows with your child is beneficial, yet many parents use screen time as a breather for themselves. In those instances, opt for larger screens, followed by laptops and tablets, reserving phones for last.
Large screens allow for group viewing, making it easier for parents to monitor content. Moreover, sitting farther away from a TV promotes better posture and is less visually consuming than smaller screens. This distance is also better for eye health, as kids are less likely to swipe accidentally onto inappropriate content on larger devices.
Section 2.2: The Effects of Overstimulating Content
There’s an abundance of low-quality children’s programming that can be quite alarming. Highly stimulating shows can negatively affect a child's behavior after even just 15 to 30 minutes.
The bright lights, loud sounds, and frenetic pace of these shows can lead to emotional dysregulation, causing children to crave more of the intense stimulation. This is especially concerning for infants and toddlers, who are particularly susceptible to such influences.
Repeated exposure to these types of shows can alter children's brains, leaving them less capable of self-entertainment and creativity. Consequently, I now focus on high-quality programming for my toddler, putting less emphasis on the time spent watching.
Section 2.3: The Guilt of Monitoring Screen Time
Focusing too heavily on the specific duration of screen time can lead to unnecessary parental guilt.
While it’s essential to acknowledge the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for screen time for young children, quality content can foster social skills and cognitive development. Therefore, parents shouldn’t feel guilty if their child enjoys a bit more screen time one day, especially if it’s beneficial or if the parent needs a moment to recharge.
Excessive guilt can lead to unhealthy parenting practices, often worse than the extra screen time that caused the concern in the first place. Thus, moderation is key, emphasizing quality over quantity while teaching children how to engage with screens responsibly and prioritize real-life connections.
Are you worried that your child is spending too much time on screens or that you’re using screens as distractions? My parenting guide offers strategies to foster independent play and resilience in children.