The American Academy of Pediatrics released another set of guidelines for kids under age 2 and the hazards of TV and screen time. They said that screen time provides no educational benefits for children under age 2 and leaves less room for activities that do, like interacting with other people and playing. However, those of us who live in the real world would look at these “experts” and say, What? Realistically, our kids are going to have screen time, whether it is Sesame Street or Baby Einstein or time on the computer or iPad. There have been no evidence to show that exposure to these things causes long-term development problems.
Another part of the AAP guidelines tells parents it is not a good idea to have a TV in a young child’s room. Also, don’t replace playtime with screen time. In one survey, 90 percent of parents said their children under 2 watched some from of media, whether a TV show like “Yo Gabba Gabba!” or a favorite iPhone app. While some studies find correlations between overall media exposure and problems with attention and language, no one has determined for certain which comes first.
On the other side there are those who say screen time, especially when it comes to computers or iPads, isn’t all that bad. Melissa Atkins, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Ohio, “Kids that had some access to a computer, either at home or at a family member’s house they went to frequently, had higher estimated IQ scores and higher school readiness scores than kids that did not have access to a computer.”
I don’t understand how parents can have no screen time for their kids. I need to turn on the TV and let the kids sit for half an hour so I can do a little work or answer the phone. I’m not a bad mom and only want the best for my kids. Getting through a flight from Colorado Springs to Atlanta would make me pull my hair out if my kids couldn’t watch a few shows along the way. They’ve even picked up a few Spanish words from Diego and learned about a caterpillar’s life cycle from Blue’s Clues. Now that they are a little older, they can watch shows that are a little more educational. However, I’ll never say NO to screen time completely. I was a first time mother, living across the country from my family. I didn’t know anyone and my husband was in school 10 – 12 hours a day. I needed sanity breaks and Elmo and Blue’s Clues gave them to me.
How do you feel about screen time for young kids? Does it change for older kids? What do you do when your kids are watching a show or playing a game?
