Dear Parents and Carers,
Too Much Screen Time?
When schools were closed, most children's screen time went through the roof. That can be a blessing for parents cooped up with their children 24/7, but isn't this harming young people?
In the last few years we've been hearing that excessive screen time melts their brains, shrinks their attention spans and weakens their social skills.
Digital abstinence for young children was the strong message until quite recently. Worries like these have a long history, with parents fretting about each new wave of entertainment technology - radio, movies,TV.
Is viewing time all that damaging?
For starters, the evidence linking screens to harm is, in reality, paper thin. Recent studies have downplayed negative effects, In fact, they say, a couple of hours of screen-based leisure is associated with improved peer relationships and increased sociality.
Gaming meets our fundamental needs for exploration, competence and social connection. And games often improve rather than undermine our reasoning abilities.
As for concerns about children getting isolated, the Internet is the world's best tool for distanced socializing.
So parents and educators needn't fret too much during the coronavirus lockdown but they should monitor what children are watching and playing, sometimes playing and watching with them, and steer them toward brainy games, age-appropriate educational videos, documentaries available on streaming services, co-operative and team-orientated video games and timeless films that don't just entertain, or distract, but teach ineffable lessons about life, love and family.
Acknowledgement: "Screen Time Isn't All That Bad" by Andrew Przybylski and Pete Etchells in The New York Times.
