Screen time is a double-edged sword for parents. On one hand, it can be educational and entertaining for children. But on the other hand, it can interfere with healthy sleep and other key areas of child development.
Is it possible to strike a balance and enjoy the benefits without the drawbacks? In this article you will learn the pros and cons of screen time for young children and get the most commonly asked screen time questions answered!
Pros of screen time for small kids:
1. Communication outside of normal routines:
Screen time offers a way for children to communicate, bond, and interact with friends and family outside of their home and/or daycare setting. This allows them to maintain relationships with grandparents or other friends/relatives that they may not be able to see in person on a regular basis.
Screen time has also been a lifesaver for many families who have not been able to travel recently due to the pandemic.
2. Learning tools:
Children can use devices with Apple and Android apps, as learning tools, allowing them to navigate through educational material and better understand how technology works. Children who engage in screen time, especially with handheld devices, iPhones, iPads or computers, may be more prepared to use the same tools when they’re introduced at school. And some apps can even support healthy behavior, such as regular exercise and good food choices.
3. Positive growth opportunities:
As an extension of #2, certain types of screen time are better than others. Educational apps, learning tv programs, even online interaction can offer positive growth opportunities. Pay attention to what kids are doing on their screens and consider whether their activities offer benefits. Quality or not, it should still count as part of your time limits…more on that later!
4. A break for parents:
Screens can offer a break for parents, too. A short screen time session could offer parents time to make dinner, finish some work, or just get some alone time. Sometimes it’s a much needed pause button for daily life to allow both parent and child to slow down and recharge.
In these situations, opt for a Facetime session with grandma or an educational app instead of allowing kids to zone out on YouTube.
5. Travel lifesaver:
If you are about to embark on a long airplane ride or a road trip, screen time might make or break the trip! Ease up on restrictions to help keep everyone sane! This is a great time to get a new educational app or download a new show/movie that your child has been wanting to use/see. Surprise them with it when you are about to leave. And don’t forget to pack the headphones so you don’t have to listen to Daniel Tiger over and over again. You’re welcome!
Cons of screen time for small kids
1. Weight gain:
Children who engage in excessive sedentary screen time could be at risk of obesity due to lack of activity, which in turn increases their likelihood of developing diabetes. One study outlines that in addition to lack of movement, children are more likely to become obese due to the increase in eating high-calorie, low-nutrient food while watching or playing their devices. Children are also influenced by food and beverage marketing ads during shows and videos.
2. Behavioral issues:
Behavior problems can be an issue, too, as children who have excessive access to screens are more likely to experience social or attention problems. Allina Health says, “In multiple studies, excessive screen time has been linked to school problems, anger, aggression, frustration, depression and other emotional problems. Over-stimulation causes kids to have poor focus and depletes their mental energy, which often leads to explosive behavior.”
3. Sleep problems:
Sleep is an especially important concern when it comes to screen time. Screen time at night or before bed can be more harmful for sleep than daytime device use. When kids are exposed to screens at night, it sends an alert signal to their brains, confusing their circadian rhythm with signals that it’s daytime because the eye is taking in light. That can make it tough for kids to wind down, get in bed, and get to sleep. It may also lower the quality of their sleep and could even lead to insomnia.. Set a clear limit on nighttime screen use, and shut down devices each night at least one hour before bed.
4. Screens reduce ability to control impulses:
According to the experts at Unicef.org, young children need their dose of boredom. Boredom teaches kids how to cope with frustration and control their impulses. They say that if young children are constantly being stimulated by screens (TVs, ipads, iphones, etc.), they forget how to rely on themselves or others for entertainment. This leads to frustration and hinders imagination and motivation.
5. Screens reduce empathy:
Did you know that face-to-face interactions are the only way young children learn to understand non-verbal cues and interpret them. Research has shown that screen time inhibits young children’s ability to read faces and learn social skills, two key factors needed to develop empathy. What is empathy? Empathy is being able to know how someone else is feeling, even when you aren’t in the same situation. Empathy has two parts, shared emotion and seeing other perspectives. Both parts of empathy are ways in which we make the effort to understand other people and share an emotion with them.
“Until babies develop language,” says Charles Nelson, a Harvard neuroscientist who studies the impact of neglect on children’s brains, “all communication is non-verbal, so they depend heavily on looking at a face and deriving meaning from that face. Is this person happy with me, or are they upset at me?” That two-way interaction between children and adult caregivers is critically important for brain development.
Exposure to screens reduces babies’ ability to read human emotion and control their frustration. It also detracts from activities that help boost their brain power, like play and interacting with other children. But if you have to rely on screens in certain situations, just make sure to control the quality of what they see, and engage with them while they’re watching. The benefits of limiting and even eliminating screen time in these early years will last a lifetime.
Related articles:
- Best Sleep Schedules for Babies & Toddlers
- Three Effective Ways to Instill Gratitude in Your Children
- BabyQuip Baby Gear Rentals: How to Get Started
Why is it important to avoid too much screen time?
Oftentimes we are told not to allow screen time but not many parents know exactly why. Perhaps knowing the why will encourage parents to reduce or cut out unnecessary screen time.
Did you know that exposure to screens reduces babies’ ability to read human emotion and control their frustration? It also detracts from activities that help boost their brain power, like play and interacting with other children.
How much screen time is too much?
Consider quantity when it comes to using devices. Some can be good, but too much can be harmful. Monitor how much time children are getting overall. Here are some basic age related guidelines:
- WHO screen time recommendations:
The World Health Organization suggests that infants two and under have no screen time at all. They also suggest that children ages 2 to 4 should have no more than one hour of sedentary screen use per day which includes playing video games or watching movies/videos. Time durations can increase with age but parents need to be sure that infants and small children are meeting other required activities throughout the day before allowing devices.
- AAP screen time recommendations:
The American Academy of Pediatrics, discourages electronic media use for children under 18 months of age, and suggests limiting screen time for children ages 2 to 5 to one hour per day. They go on to say that their one hour of use should be only high-quality programs/apps.
The best way to manage device use for small children:
Allowing kids device time can have benefits and drawbacks, but with a good balance you can maximize the benefits and avoid major drawbacks. Setting limits is a great way to offer the balance kids need.
Consider your child’s habits and what works for them (and you), but make clear rules to establish an upper limit of how much screen time kids can take in each day.
Kids can benefit from screen use, but there can be too much of a good thing. Practice healthy limits on screen time so children can enjoy and learn from it, but still be active, happy and sleep well at night!
Schedule screen time in advance and stick to the plan:
One of the biggest challenges for parents is having their kids constantly asking to use a device. It’s a daily struggle trying to stick to a set of boundaries, and the more you give in, the greater the struggle gets.
One family’s success story for limiting screen time began with their decision to allow screens only on the weekends. You read that right. During the week, screens were completely off limits. There was no bargaining, no keeping track of minutes, no incessant asking. The kids knew that they had screen time coming on the weekend, so they eventually stopped asking for it during the week. It took a little bit of transition time, but having this boundary and expectation set, and sticking to it, made for a much more peaceful home during the week.
The kids found other ways to fill their time. They picked up books to read. They began drawing and creating comics of their own. They went outside and rode their bikes or played on the swings. It’s amazing how eliminating the use of screens opens up the door and makes room for kids to be creative. They may pick up a hobby that brings them a ton of joy. They may learn to communicate verbally to the people around them.
What You Can Do:
Naturally, children learn more when they watch TV or use apps with a parent. It’s important to realize that content matters; a lot. All programs educate kids about something, but stick with ones that are designed to teach children stuff they should actually know, like language and math.
Regardless of content, cap your child’s electronic entertainment time at 1 hour a day from age 18 months to age five. Remember, TV is still TV whether you actually watch it on a TV screen or on a mobile phone or computer.
It’s important for parents to model good behavior and etiquette for screens and devices, to limit their use, and to prioritize their relationship with their child. Your kids want to model what their parents are doing. If you are always looking at a screen, they will want to do just that. Make a point to limit your own screen time. You can set limits on your phone for certain apps. By being more present with your children throughout the day, everyone will be a little more happy.
Was this article helpful for you? Do you agree or disagree with the use of screens for your kids? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Amy Highland is a sleep expert at SleepHelp.org. She loves taking naps during thunderstorms and cuddling up with a blanket, book and her cats.
This article is too balanced, I love it!
I wanted to be the parent that stuck to no screen time before two. I learned balance is more important. 15 minutes a day when my son was little gave me time to eat lunch.
This article is one of the best articles I have ever read.
Congratulations to the author.
Thank you. Good read and good points. We “try” to limit to an hour. and hang outside most of the day. But with 3 boys,quiet is rare. So when mama needs quiet tv comes on.
There continues to be more and more evidence that says screens are rewiring kids brains and not for the better. It’s so importnat to set limits or take devices away entirely.
Maureen I agree – So much research showing the damages to the little brains so early on. Our little is sooooooooooooooo drawn to devices. We try to limit as much as possible. It is a daily task!
Wow! I had no idea.
This is such important and helpful information to share with my children who have young ones. In this day and age, it is difficult to watch so many young children on their own devices in restaurants and so many other places. I think parents need to remind children it is important to just daydream once in a while! It is not an easy balance but essential to not have them stimulated all of the time. Thank you for your article.
I have 3 boys and 1 baby girl. Ages 15, 12, 7 & 1. We manage screen time using Disney’s My Circle device which literally highjacks all devices on wifi. I can literally pause the wifi in the entire house using the app on my phone. You can set time limits, restrict or grant access in time increments. Set different regulations for different kids. I sleep a lot better knowing the wifi shuts down on certain devices at night and cellphones are on the chargers in our room. The kids hate it but I couldn’t be happier
I love that you set limits on screen time! It’s not easy to do.
Reading this article made me curious as to what older generations did when they needed to keep the kids occupied. I’ll have to ask my grandparents!
We have been struggling with this a lot with our 3 year old. Balancing his needs + the needs of 9 month old twins is a lot so he often ends up on the iPad more than I’d like. Making a conscious effort to decrease time spent on it has really helped!
Another con that wasn’t touched upon in detail is social media apps and the precautions parents need to take if their children are accessing these types of apps in terms of personal information being given out.
That’s a really good point…and super important to communicate to kids.