Compared to what?

Original post:  June 25, 2015

One of the great controversies in parenting is the continuing debate over screen time for kids. The official line from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that children under two should have none at all. In their opinion, they suggest limiting older children to an hour a day.

If your children are anything like mine, it's difficult to pry them away from screens. Whether it's the amazing allure of the television or the irresistible pull of the iPad, it's a struggle to keep them from that zombie-like state of complete absorption. At the same time, electronic babysitting also becomes something of a godsend at certain points in the day. How much is too much?

At points, I have to admit that the intense focus my boys can have for the TV is comical. They stare so intently at the TV that you can walk directly in front of them and they hardly notice (unless you stand still in their line of view and they shift to peer around your obstruction). This is even true for the commercials!

I personally have less of an issue with the iPad. Even if they are gaming, it's at least forcing them to have some interaction. I also try to justify their TV watching by forcing them to mix in a variety of quasi-educational shows instead of just a steady diet of cartoons or sports. I must admit that the quality of documentaries has improved tremendously over the years. I've personally learned a few things about such diverse topics as psychology, history, and manufacturing just from watching with them.

This article by Emily Oster at FiveThirtyEight discusses the issue. In her estimation, "'Screen Time' For Kids is Probably Fine." Here is her summary of the main line of attack against the practice:

The AAP statement on media seems opposed to screens per se (quote: “young children learn best when they interact with people, not screens”) without really differentiating among various uses and types of screens. But, not surprisingly, when you look at the research, the screen matters less than what you do with it.

Of all the possibilities for screen time, television watching clearly gets the most negative attention. It’s not hard to see why. Unlike educational games on a tablet, which at least can be argued to have some interactive value, television and movie watching are largely passive. Those who oppose TV for children worry about many downsides, but chief among them are declines in test scores (or other cognitive ability) and increases in obesity.

The article parses the studies that seem to show these correlations. It finds a major flaw in those that seem to tie screen time to negative outcomes:

....In the general population, kids who watch a lot of TV — especially at young ages — tend to be poorer, are more likely to be members of minority groups and are more likely to have parents with less education. All these factors independently correlate with outcomes such as executive function, test scores and obesity, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions about the effects of television from this research.

The article goes on to show that there doesn't seem to be any real data that link screen time to any major negative outcome. It may be a factor, but it isn't the only one and other factors may have far more impact. The author goes on to explain:

To judge what impact TV has on children, we have to think about tradeoffs — what would kids be doing with their time if they weren’t watching television? There are 24 hours in a day. If your kid watches one less hour of TV, she does one hour more of something else. The AAP guidelines imply that this alternative activity is something more enriching: reading books with dad, running on the track, discussing current events with grandma, etc.

But a lot of kids and families may not use an additional hour in these ways. An hour of TV may be replaced by an hour of sitting around doing nothing, whining about being bored. Or, worse, being yelled at by an overtired parent who is trying to get dinner ready on a tight time frame. If letting your kids watch an hour of TV means you are better able to have a relaxed conversation at the dinner table, this could mean TV isn’t that bad for cognitive development.

In my own opinion, screen time can be a force for intellectual stimulation if used the right way. I'll just have to work harder to moderate the time and keep my kids from turning into couch potatoes. I think I'm going to go home and force them to go outside and play for an hour!

Here is the link to the full article so you can decide for yourself:  ‘Screen Time’ For Kids Is Probably Fine | FiveThirtyEight