Children and Screen Times: How to Protect Your Child from Technology Consumption

It’s no surprise that excessive screen time can have severe consequences for a child’s growth and infancy. And, while finding a preschool in Delray Beach that limits screen time can do wonders in reducing their technology consumption, the work we do at home is crucial, too. 

In the past two decades, technology and screens have evolved rapidly. The first iPhone was released only 13 years ago, the iPad 10 years ago, and Netflix opened its streaming services in 2007. Given how recent some of these developments feel, it can be hard to gauge their effects on young children and their education. 

However, we created this guide to help you gain the knowledge you need to better protect your child from overexposure. 

What the Experts Say About Screen Exposure

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against allowing children to use screens until they are 18 to 24 months old—except for video chatting with mom and dad, if necessary. When they’re between the ages of two and five, they should not spend more than an hour a day on screens. 

As they become older, parents can slowly begin to negotiate guidelines and restrictions regarding screen time. The World Health Organization recommends similar screen time regulations to prevent sedentary behavior and sleep problems for young children.  

Sadly, while there seems to be consensus on the amount of ‘healthy’ screen time for children, these guidelines aren’t often enforced. 

A study conducted by Weiwei Chen states that, as of 2014, 2-year-old children in the United States spent an average of 3 hours and 3 minutes a day on screens. In comparison, the average screen time in 1997 was 1 hour and 19 minutes a day. 

Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Children

The biggest challenge for studies regarding the effect of screens on kids is that it can be hard to isolate the consequences of digital media consumption from all the other experiences kids are exposed to. However, certain professionals were able to gather data, and the results aren’t encouraging. 

A study by the University of Calgary showed that more screen time per week at ages 24 and 36 months was associated with lower performance on behavioral, cognitive, and social development screening tests. 

Sadly, screen exposure can do way worse than affecting your child’s academic performance. Screen time is related to less attention, interruptions, literacy challenges, and even less reliance on imagination and visualization. 

The Lie of Digital Media Education

One reason screen consumption is becoming more widespread is the development of baby and toddler digital content. These videos often promise to become a source of enrichment and education, but the truth is that they aren’t an effective teaching tool for children. 

A 2005 study found that television viewing consistently failed to teach kids ages two and younger as much as live interaction. Scientists tried showing toddlers a video of an experimenter hiding a toy in the room next door. They then instructed toddlers to locate it, but the findings revealed that children immediately struggled to locate the toy in the room. 

It may seem surprising, but babies and toddlers are very good at differentiating screens from “real life.” Kids don’t believe that videos are relevant to real life, so they simply don’t learn its content. That appears to be the case until they are about three years old. 

However, in the same study, examiners tried to disguise the screen to make it look like a window. When they were informed that they were looking through a window, kids were willing to learn and were able to locate the toy. 

Tips to Limit Screen Time for Busy Parents 

Unfortunately, screen time has become so common for several reasons. Most parents say they lacked access to reasonably priced alternative sources of entertainment.  

Whatever the reason, there are several things you can do to limit screen time for your children—or at least diminish its effects. 

1. Read Aloud to Your Young Child 

Reading a book out loud can have several benefits for your child. It not only opens the gate to literacy and fosters imagination, but it also helps them develop self-control and increase their attention spans. 

However, storytelling from a digital device doesn’t engage attention as much as interactive storytelling from a real human does. Children listening to stories via a screen showed no effect or improvement on the attention network, so make sure to read to them or find reading programs in local libraries. 

2. Avoid Unmonitored Device Time 

One of the biggest early childhood milestones is developing the ability to interact with others. Children learn this thanks to rewarding feelings associated with positive interactions with friends and family, such as funny moments, laughter, and praise.  

This unique type of interaction cannot be replaced with an unmoderated screen. Even if you let your child use devices, it’s important as a parent to be physically present and personally interact with them and the platforms. For instance, make sure to maintain eye contact with your child. 

If they cannot take their gaze away from the screen, they can touch the child and say, ‘Did you see it?’ before returning their gaze to the adult. This turns alone screen time into a real moment of enrichment between parent and child. 

3. Keep the Phone Away 

Studies show that the mere presence of a smartphone can be distracting for a child. It was discovered that when the smartphone was present, brain activity in kids was similar to what is expected in children with attention difficulties. 

On the other hand, when performing the same task without a smartphone in the area, kids did not exhibit these attention deficits. 

4. Let Children Be Bored 

If you go back to your childhood, you can trace back that feeling of boring summer afternoons with nothing to do. While boredom may have felt exasperating, we can assure you that being bored is good. 

Children need to experience boredom to help develop attention, creativity, and self-sufficiency. When bored, kids look for opportunities to find entertainment. They use their imagination and creativity to solve problems, developing independence and further self-awareness. 

However, when screens are used as a strategy to keep children occupied, all of these opportunities are lost. 

Foster a Healthy Education with our Preschool in Delray Beach

Nowadays, the youth faces many challenges. As screens continue to become widespread, more and more parents will have to find alternatives to providing their children with healthy education while ensuring a happy and fulfilling youth. In that process, face-to-face interactions are key. 

At Neighborhood Kids, we strive to become a place for enrichment and happiness for your child. Contact us today and learn more about all the things that we do to ensure that!