Children
are now faced with increasingly more options for screened entertainment,
leaving families disconnected and disengaged.
Would
it surprise you to know that 2-5-year-olds watch more than 32 hours of TV a
week? (Nielsen) Many children learn to operate
sophisticated remote controls before their third birthday and sit mesmerized in
front of the screen. In fact, many parents include television as part of a
child’s bedtime routine, unaware that television viewing before bed may disturb
children’s sleep patterns.
Children
ages 8-18 spend more than 53 hours a week online and almost 8 hours of media
use each day. (Keiser Family
Foundation)
In today’s digital world, families are exposed to more screen time than ever
before. Smartphones, tablets, YouTube and the ever-popular game, Minecraft are
just a few of the many sources of electronic connection that vie for time and
attention from both parents and children.
Research
demonstrates that screen time can negatively influence brain development. But
you don’t need research to know that your children are on their screens too
much each day; you know this from your own wisdom and intuition. But not many
of us want to pull the plug on television. We want our kids to keep up with
technology and learn new skills that will help them in their lives, but we know
that too much media use prevents them from becoming proficient in
person-to-person communication skills.
The
key lies in finding a balance. What you can do to help your kids find that
balance of screen time with “real life” is to work together to set limits around daily media use…including your
own.
The
Positive Discipline Association suggests the following tools to help manage
your family’s screen time so it doesn’t manage you:
1.
Have
a family meeting.
Get the whole family involved in a plan for reducing screen time. Part of the
solutions should include things to do in place of screen time. It is more
difficult to give something up when you don’t have plans for what else to do.
2.
Create
a “parking lot”
for electronics—have a basket or charging station in a central location in the
house at which family members “park” their electronics during certain times of
day.
3.
Establish
new routines. Start
with one time of day to be screen free (such as dinner) and periodically add on
other times of day.
4.
Stay
close with your child with special time. Children will listen to your limits about screen time
when they feel understood and that you “get” them. Spend regular one-on-one
time together to keep your relationship strong.
5.
Hold
limits with kindness and firmness. Changing a screen time habit is hard; be ready for
disappointment, anger, and sad feelings. Hold your limits by empathizing with a
child’s feelings and sticking with the limit you’ve set.