Does it make any difference how much access young children have to screen time (time using any device that has a screen like TV, computers, electronic games, iPads, etc.)?  The short answer is “Yes!”

The last time I travelled by air, the flight attendant made the usual safety announcement and then asked the passengers to turn off anything that has an on/off switch.  I thought, “I wish I could say that to parents!”

In my speech-language pathology practice I see many children with communication disorders who have unlimited access to all sorts of electronic equipment from TVs to computers to Xboxes.  Often there are more TV sets in the home than there are people and rarely are they all turned off.  Many health care professionals and educators are now advising that parents limit the time their children have access to any devices with screens.

Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation that no screen time be allowed for children under two years of age, and kids over two be limited to less than two hours of screen time per day.

The rule in our house goes even farther.  There is no screen time at all on school nights and weekend solo screen time is limited two 2 hours.  Additional screen time is allowed if done with a parent.  For example, my husband and son often watch old movies together, but never more than one per weekend.

Why is screen time a potential problem and what can parents do about it?

The Hazards of Screen Time

Here’s what recent research tells us about the affects of screen time.  Inactivity associated with screen time, along with the tendency to munch snacks while watching the screen contributes to obesity.  Moreover, the more screen time kids have, the more likely they are to resist going to bed and to have trouble falling asleep, because their minds are continuously stimulated by external inputs that interfere with a child’s ability to “self soothe” and settle down.

Elementary students who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. Exposure to video games also increases the risk of attention problems in children. Children who watch excessive amounts of TV are more likely to bully than children who don’t.  TV programs, in general, promote an unrealistic process of social problem solving and peer negotiation.

Elementary students who have TVs in their bedrooms tend to perform worse on tests than those who don’t.  Also, childhood TV viewing is detrimental to language skills, attention levels, cognitive functioning.

Screen time is also associated with delayed language acquisition in younger children.  And since screen time interferes with, or interrupts, time interacting with parents and peers, it can also delay or inhibit social skills development.

So limiting screen time is clearly a good idea.  But, as with anything in life, the key is moderation and common sense.

Limiting screen time

Your child’s total daily screen time may be greater than you realize.  Start monitoring it.  In the meantime, you can take simple steps to reduce the amount of time your child spends watching TV, movies, and videos or playing video or computer games:

• Eliminate background TV.  If the TV is turned on — even if it’s just in the background — it’s likely to draw your child’s attention.  Turn the TV off.
• Keep TVs and computers out of the bedroom.  Children who have TVs in their bedrooms watch more TV and videos than children who don’t.  Monitor your child’s screen time and the websites he or she is visiting by keeping computers in a common area in your house.
• Don’t eat in front of the TV.  Allowing your child to eat or snack in front of the TV increases his or her screen time.  The habit also encourages mindless munching, which can lead to weight gain.
• Set school day rules.  Most children have limited free time during the school week.  Don’t let your child spend all of it in front of a screen.  Being bored is not a problem; it’s a golden opportunity for the child to become creative.
• Encourage other adults in your child’s life to limit your child’s screen time too.
• Suggest other activities.  Rather than relying on screen time for entertainment, help your child find other things to do.  Consider classic activities, such as reading, playing a sport, trying a new board game, or just doing nothing and seeing what interesting creative play arises.
• Set a good example.  Be a good role model by limiting your own screen time.
• Unplug it.  If screen time is becoming a source of tension in your family, unplug the TV or turn off the computer for a while.
• Allow older children to earn “screen time credits” by doing chores, completing homework, reading a book, or other caring for younger children.  For example, doing a math work sheet for a half hour could earn 15 minutes of extra screen time.

Become an active participant

 When your child has screen time, make it as engaging as possible.  Make viewing an event.  Rather than keeping the TV on all of the time, treat watching TV as though you were planning to see a movie in a theater.  Choose a show and pick a specific time to watch it together.

Be intentional about what your child views.  Instead of flipping through channels, seek quality videos or use a program guide to select appropriate shows. Pay attention to TV Parental Guidelines — a system that rates programs based on suitability for children.  Make a list of the programs your child can watch for the week and post it in a visible spot, such as near the TV or on the refrigerator.  Use parental control settings on your home computer.  Preview video games before allowing your child to play them.

Watch with your child. Whenever possible, watch programs together — and talk about what you see.  As mentioned above, my husband and son like to watch old moves together.  They keep a globe near the TV and locate the setting for each movie they watch before it begins and then discuss them afterwards.  As a result my son has learned a lot of history and geography and is sensitive to how some racial groups (Japanese, Native Americans, and African Americans) were portrayed negatively in 1940s movies.

Record programs and watch them later.  This will allow you to skip or fast-forward through commercials selling toys, junk food and other products, as well as pause a program when you want to discuss something you’ve watched — such as a depiction of family values, violence or drug abuse.  When watching live programs, use the mute button during commercials.

The bottom line is to take charge of your child’s screen time so that it does not dominate his or her “down time.”  Interpersonal communication and the creative play that arises naturally when a child is challenged by being a little bored are positively associated with good language development.  And screen time, no matter how good the program, can never be a substitute for that.

~ Susan Lubell, Special Education Coordinator, Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter School (BART), Adams, MA