As a new year approaches, many of us begin to think about making positive habits to improve our lives. No, this isn't about the latest diet fad or the best way to work exercise into your busy day. Instead I have decided to provoke your thinking about screen time in hopes that this resolution will be added to your list. Screen time; the amount of and the content included, has been a hot topic of debate for educators and parents alike. There are many assumptions that research debunks. You will be both surprised and motivated by the information shared.
The first assumption by well intentioned parents is that content that is labeled educational is good for young children. If you switch the channels of the television you will be inundated by children's programming claiming to be such. If the program teaches something it must be fine; right? Not necessarily. The educational value of the program depends on two things:
1. Is the information presented in a manner that is developmentally appropriate for your child?
2. Does your child have the ability to comprehend the information in order to learn from it?
Children learn through repetition. They also make connections when the learning is in a meaningful context. Watching a show about friendship and what it means to be a friend doesn't result in kind interactions between peers. This result comes from repeated interactions along with the support from adults who can guide their play. Children learn the concept of friendship in the context of interactions and they will connect positive behaviors and friendly words when they see and hear them repeatedly. You will know that they've learned when you observe them apply the ideas of friendship in a new situation.
The next assumption is that the television is just background noise and that it doesn't affect children. A study by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst looked at how children interacted with toys; both with and without the television playing in the room. The results were that the noise and the picture flashes of the T.V. acted as a distraction for children; causing them to lose focus and move from one toy to another. The study also found that while the television is on, the amount of time that parents spent interacting with their children decreased 21%. As a parent to adult children who grew up before the blink of my eye I can tell you to turn off the T. V.!
Finally, the last assumption is that scary T. V. shows or movies just go above the children's heads. Content made for adults won't be understood by young children and therefore there is nothing to worry about...
Pediatrics reported research that found exposure to violent television programming resulted in sleep problems for young children. At their stage of development, sleep is critical; impacting growth and cognitive development. A program implemented to remove the viewing of violent content by young children positively correlated to a decrease in sleep problems.
This concern recently became real in a classroom filled with young viewers of The Walking Dead. As we observed the children acting out zombie scenes, we knew that this disturbing play was the result of children trying to make sense of the violent content that they were both too immature and too inexperienced to watch. Exposure to violent T. V.; beit The Walking Dead or a newscast reporting on violence, can affect the social-emotional growth and regulation of young children in addition to reducing their well needed sleep.
Less screen time is a win-win. This results in more quality time together learning in meaningful contexts and learning from you. When you do decide to flip on the television, sit with your child and view together. Talk about what is happening, the way it makes you feel, what you have learned and relate the content to real-life experiences to help connections between what they are seeing and what they already know. They grow up so fast; enjoy every minute...
By the way, my resolution is to use less cliches.
Happy New Year!
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