Most parents know that they should keep screen time to a minimum, but how much is too much? Moreover, with the advent of many educational apps for tablets and smartphones, it’s easy as a parent to get confused about managing their childrens' use of televisions, computers and tablets. Watching "Frozen" for the hundredth time is clearly entertainment, but what about playing with a Dora the Explorer app that teaches vocabulary? Should that count against a child’s screen time "budget?”
The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford blog, Healthier, Happier Lives, had a post earlier this week that offers concrete tips from Thomas Robinson, MD, MPH, director of Packard’s Center for Healthy Weight. Robinson notes that educational screen time doesn’t need to count toward entertainment screen time, which he recommends keeping to less than an hour a day. But he cautions that parents should distinguish between real educational programs and entertainment disguised as education.
He also says that it’s easier to get kids to follow screen-time rules if parents are judicious about their own screen use (this includes time in front of a computer or with a smart phone, as well as TV time). One of the key reasons to turn off the TV (and other screens) is to avoid bad habits associated with screen time like eating high-fat, high-sugar snacks, especially while in front of a TV or computer. Another is simply to get kids to move more and be more active.
The bottom line? Robinson says:
More than anything else, just having family rules about how much, what, when, where, and with whom is the most important step in making screen time and technology work for your family, instead of against it.
Previously: Examining the effects of family time, screen time and parenting styles on child behavior, Childhood obesity expert to parents: Reduce your child’s screen time and Study: Too much TV, computer could hurt kids’ mental health
Photo by Vidmir Raic
