We’ve all used television and computer games as a babysitter at some point as parents.  Perhaps your kids are exposed to screens daily or just once in awhile.  The way we use screen technology in our homes is personal.   You get to decide how much of it you want your kid to have.

I find that I make better choices about the amount of screen time my kids get when I’m reminded about the negative impact it has on their development and behavior.

This month I’ve focused on helping moms create a home environment that encourages their children to play more independently.  Young children thrive on human interaction and lots of free play.  We get that.  You want your kids to have healthy brains and social skills.  At the same time, you struggle with figuring out how to have some time that isn’t interrupted and you’ve had some success of providing that down time for yourself when you let the kids watch a show or play a video game.

Okay, so you have found screens to help you out as a mom.  At the same time, let’s make sure we know the price we’re paying for that screen time.

In one study, from Brown University, it was discovered that electronic media interferes with the development of autonomy. Geez, wouldn’t you know it?  It’s actually causing our kids to be more demanding and less creative.  There’s a vicious cycle here…

You need the kids to be more independent - you give them screen time - great! they’re happy - show’s over - they’re back again, wanting something, wanting you, needing this, needing that - why aren’t these kids playing?? Hmmmm…

Another interesting fact,  despite the innocence of programming (don’t you just love Little Bear or Little Bill), screen technology does not provide opportunities for brain development that free play does allow.  When your child builds a tower, or makes you wooden vegetable soup, brain connections are being made.

The bottom line: viewing is not doing.

Screens can diminish a child’s ability to pretend and imagine outside of the media images they’ve been exposed. (Drs. Jerome and Dorothy Singer at Yale University).

Children who engage in pretend play, smile and laugh more, have longer attention spans and more satisfying peer relationships, and are less aggressive than children who do not know the joy of make-believe play. (The House of Make Believe, p. 183)

A recent study showed that unimaginative children are far more prone to violence than imaginative children, because they can’t imagine an alternative when direct sensory information is threatening, insulting, unpleasant, or unrewarding. (Joseph Chilton Pearce, Evolution’s End, p. 168).

So, am I saying you should throw your television and computer games out the door?  Well, not necessarily.  There’s a part of me that believes we would be better off without them, but I have to say, I will be keeping our television and our computers, despite my better judgment.

My own personal goal is to keep screen time to a maximum of 5 hours or less per week.  I’m determined to reach that goal.  I encourage you to read more about the impact of screens in this fascinating article.

Are you limiting screens at your house?  Do you think screens are having a negative affect on your child?