The (Sometimes) Scary Science of Screens
In chapter 2 of The Art of Screen Time, Kamenetz discusses research that relates to screen time. She references Dimitri Christakis quite a bit given that he is the co-author of with the familiar rule to avoid television under the age of two. This was recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1999.
Like many doctors and researchers in this area he believes the harm of screens in related to the amount of time spent using them. As I mentioned in my previous post researchers are not willing to have children participate in any studies that would increase screen time to prove this point. Christakis has actually done media reduction studies in the past but the issue that came up was he was putting in a large amount of work for very little results. the amount of reduction amounted to about 20 minutes and it was too hard for families to control and change their media lifestyles for the study.
"Christakis urges us to consider the profound implications of exposing children to the intense stimulation of digital media during the months and years when their brains are forming a peak density of connections and developing core functions such as attention and memory." -Kamenetz
The large belief is that early childhood age is when digital media could have the most affect on a child and we could see the largest difference. As parents there are areas in which we need to pay close attention to when our children use media.
Like many doctors and researchers in this area he believes the harm of screens in related to the amount of time spent using them. As I mentioned in my previous post researchers are not willing to have children participate in any studies that would increase screen time to prove this point. Christakis has actually done media reduction studies in the past but the issue that came up was he was putting in a large amount of work for very little results. the amount of reduction amounted to about 20 minutes and it was too hard for families to control and change their media lifestyles for the study.
"Christakis urges us to consider the profound implications of exposing children to the intense stimulation of digital media during the months and years when their brains are forming a peak density of connections and developing core functions such as attention and memory." -Kamenetz
The large belief is that early childhood age is when digital media could have the most affect on a child and we could see the largest difference. As parents there are areas in which we need to pay close attention to when our children use media.
- Sleep
- Obesity
- School Performance
- Aggression
- Depression
- ADHD
As with most things in our children's lives we look for answers when things go wrong. We seek advice, consult a doctor, and research. So when you start to see changes in your child's health it is important to remember that media could play a role depending on how they are using it.
I really appreciate her advice that it's the indicators in other behaviors that are the signal that a child may be getting too much screen time, not a hard and fast time limit that matters.
ReplyDeleteI sat next to what looked to be a grandmother and perhaps her 5 year old grandson at lunch in a restaurant recently. The restaurant was busy and food was very slow to get to the table and every adult around me had their phone out and was scrolling through to kill time when they were tired and hungry. The grandson was playing a game on his grandmother's phone and then she took it away (she said she was concerned about the battery). He melted down. From what I could see, it had nothing to do with not having the screen. It seemed to have everything to do with having absolutely nothing else to do in a noisy crowded restaurant when it was well past the normal lunch time-- no placemat to color, no real attempt at conversation from grandma (she was tired, too), nothing to really look at. And I thought of this book and how at least some adults probably were listening to him wail and thin that it was all because kids are "addicted" to phones...
Just an anecdote -- I was thinking of your presentation while watching all this.