The game has changed
The Gist:
Screen time isn’t inherently bad. The research gives us some guidelines and you can take it from there.
Read more:
Are you like me in your love-hate relationship with technology? We love that it keeps kids entertained while we make dinner or use the bathroom alone for a change (!!). We love that it can delight them, and make them laugh, and keep them calm when nothing else seems to.
But do you hate yourself just a little bit when you use it? Do you second guess yourself like I do? Do you tell yourself, “if I was a better parent, I wouldn’t have to rely on a screen”?
Do you struggle with how much screen time to allow? With what types of screen time to allow? With what shows your kids can watch? With what games they’re allowed to play?
We feel like we’re copping out, or giving up, or that we are somehow defective as parents because we can’t think of what to do with our kids all the time.
I’ve been hearing from parents that they feel more conflicted than ever about screen time because it is so necessary during quarantine.
The screen allows our kids to go to school; the screen allows them to talk to their grandparents, see their friends, and sometimes the screen babysits our kids for us.
All this to say that the game has changed a lot. Maybe you’re ok with that (which is awesome!); maybe you’re just deferring your screentime worry until “all this is over”. (and if that’s the case, go read last week’s blog post about our New Normal).
Ok, so what to do about the new game? How do we navigate?
Well, on one hand, there’s good news: The research tells us that interactive screen time is different from passive screen time. That means that facetiming with Grandma and Grandpa does not “count” the same way that watching a show on YouTube does.
It means that interactive circle time with teachers and friends at school is not TV veg-out time.
The only problem might be that some kids love to talk to friends and family on the screen and some really don’t. It’s just one of those ways in which kids are different.
So don’t sweat it if your little one wants nothing to do with Nana and Poppa. Explain to Nana and Poppa that screen time is hard for him and move on. Even if that’s hard.
As for that passive time? Only you know what you and your child need today. You get to make those decisions and you get to make them with confidence. You might make a different decision later, and that’s ok.
How much is too much?
Your child’s behavior will signal to you whether they’ve had “too much” screen time. This is another area where the research is mixed. Some kids (actually, some people) seem really sensitive to blue light, whereas others can tolerate much more of it. If you notice that your little one seems wound up, quick to melt down or obsessed with the screen, you’ll know it’s time to put some clear boundaries up around screen time. We’ll talk about how to do that in the next post.
Until then, will you let me know how you’re handling screen time limits at your house? Just shoot an email to info@speechkids.com. I’d love to hear from you.
All my best -
Gabriele
We have had the pleasure of being nominated for an award by Washington Parent Picks in the Speech-language Pathology and Aspergers & Autism Resource sections under Special Needs, and we are thrilled. If you’ve been following our tips and tricks and have found some helpful advice through our content, please take a minute to show your support by clicking here and casting your vote. You can vote EVERYDAY!
Nominate until 5/15 @ 11:59pm Eastern
Vote Starting 5/24 @ 1:01am Eastern