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Excessive screen time for children is a great concern for most parents.
But not all screen time is inherently bad, and there’s a way to differentiate between “good” screen time and one that can hinder your kids’ development, says media researcher Dr. Claire Christensen. children.
“The cultural narrative that reducing screen time, just as a general rule, is always better for children is more destructive than helpful,” Christensen, a psychologist and researcher at SRI International, a nonprofit organization, told CNBC Make It. for-profit based in Menlo Park, California. .
Some health organizations recommend placing strict limits on the time your children spend in front of the screen, recommending less than an hour per day for children between 2 and 5 years old, for example. But watching high-quality educational content is good for your children’s development: it teaches them important skills and emotional intelligence that can eventually help them become successful adults.
It can also provide overworked parents with free time for household chores, work emails, or even a few minutes of relaxation, Christensen says.
Her message to parents: There is no “hard and fast rule” when it comes to a set amount of screen time for your kids, as long as you’re intentional about the media they consume.
What is “good” screen time?
Christensen describes “good screen time” as content that “gives your child something to think about and socialize with,” or even an inspiring game, from TV shows to YouTube videos.
Educational content tops Christensen’s list of high-quality content, he says: “We’re looking for videos that are meant to teach.” In 2021, she led a ISR study which found that first graders learned “literacy and math skills” and improved their problem-solving skills after watching educational content from PBS Kids, specifically the series “Denali Molly,” for just one hour a day for nine weeks.
Many online videos focus on less enriching content while adding a dash of educational value, such as “unboxing” videos, Christensen says. Try steering kids toward content “where the learning is part of the story or main idea,” she adds.
It also helps if content encourages kids to participate, such as characters asking questions for your kids to answer out loud.
“I know it can be annoying to hear dora asking your child ‘What color is this?’ or ‘What do you think?'” says Christensen. “But we love that. As a researcher, we want to look at anything that involves getting kids to respond to the program or giving them suggestions about other things they could do related to the program. Like, ‘After this, try sorting your own blocks.'”
Non-educational content can still be useful when it encourages social interaction and creative play, which can help your child’s cognitive and emotional development, she adds.
“It’s screen time that somehow connects them to the people or the world around them… even if it’s not an explicitly educational program,” Christensen says.
How parents can reframe their approach to their children’s screen time
Once parents accept that screen time can be an effective tool in raising their children and identify positive content, Christensen says these tips can help them rethink their approach to screen time:
Release the guilt
Letting your child enjoy and benefit from their favorite educational program is not something you should necessarily feel bad about. “If we walk around with the belief that ‘I’ll only be a good parent if my child spends 10 minutes in front of a screen a week,’ then we won’t be able to think proactively,” Christensen says.
Be proactive
For one thing, you don’t need to worry about specific time limits, Christensen says. On the other hand, you probably don’t want your kids watching TV or a tablet all day, especially at the expense of other necessary activities.
You can find a healthy middle ground by creating a media viewing routine. Determine ahead of time what you want them to watch, so you can stick to specific shows and videos without having to find something to watch at the last minute.
“If we don’t plan ahead and have the tablet ready with the show we like, suddenly our kid is on our phone watching God knows what on YouTube,” Christensen says. “So be prepared and be proactive.”
Ask open-ended questions
Children learn best when they interact with an adult, investigation sample. Watch with your children when possible, and ask them “open-ended questions” about what they learned and what they like about the programs, Christensen recommends.
“Parents are their children’s greatest learning tool,” he says. “(Children) may not understand that what they are learning on the screen is real learning that they can use in school or that applies to their home life. So helping them make that connection can really boost their learning.” through digital media.
Foster children’s connections with specific characters.
Your child can connect better with high-quality content when they develop connections with specific characters, such as Elmo on “Sesame Street” says Christensen.
“Once your child has a relationship with a character, it can be an invaluable tool in terms of teaching,” he says, adding: “They will learn more from a character they have strong, what we call a parasocial relationship, kind of like a imaginary friendship, the one they would have with a character who is not familiar to them.
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