Power On

We can certainly worry about the question “What is a screen doing to this child?” But how would our feelings about screen time change if we instead asked, “What is screen time allowing an adult to do for this child?” If access to a screen is allowing an adult to cook a more nutritious meal and get a few minutes to compose themselves, that is a direct benefit to the child.

negative findings regarding screen time tend to happen in excessive users, but moderate uses of screens do not produce the same negative outcomes.

Violent video games are also not a predictor of aggression or dating violence, but “depression, antisocial personality traits, exposure to family violence, and peer influence” were predictors for both. However, it has been found that mood before play can influence the impact of violent video games; participants in a study who were angry before playing “were more affected by violent video games than participants who were not angry.” This is also in-line with findings that those who are more affected by violent video games are those with “preexisting dispositions, which make them susceptible to such violent media.” In other words, instead of worrying that violent video games will make someone violent, the relationship may go the other way—a person who is more aggressive may be more interested in violent video games.

If we want kids to view screens as just another part of the day without feeling special, then the most obvious way to achieve that is by treating screen time like any other activity.

When we initially start a routine, our kids will naturally push on our boundaries to ensure those boundaries are real

One of the most important realizations I had about educational apps and video games was this: The target audience for these products is not children, it is adults. Children are rarely independently downloading or requesting educational apps; parents and caregivers are the ones who are seeking educational content because they believe it is “better” than entertainment content. This means that when a parent opens an app marketplace on a device, they are looking for things that an adult recognizes as educational. The problem is that what many educational apps present as proof of their educational content may not actually be learning-rich activities.

if we recognize that a child playing a video game is using the same type of skills we’d like them to use in academic settings, we can harness those skills and help them recognize the similarities too

Kids will never admit this, but one of the keys that makes video games and screens so appealing is something most kids say they dislike in every other part of their lives: rules.

after lamenting about the ups and downs of parenting, she said, “Everything is a phase—sometimes it’s the hard parts, and sometimes it’s the easy parts.”