Screen time and babies and toddlers
It would only take a short amount of time of sitting in a
café or public space to see an adult or child on a screen devise, such as smart
phone, Ipad or tablet. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It is not the
purpose of this blog to philosophise as to the rights or wrongs of this. The
genie is out of the bottle, and whether we like it or not screen technology is
here to stay.
It is easy to blame screen time for such a lot of ills, and
some of these may be right and as research is lacking in this area it is too
soon to tell. Problems such as childhood obesity and decline in language and
conversational skills have been attributed to screen time in adults and young
children.
I have recently come across some common sense guidelines
which are based upon research into the use of screen time for children under
three years, from Zero to Three, an American website which helps parents and
professionals to understand current research and provides helpful resources.
Small children need rich experiences in a multidimensional world, with lots of
interaction with their caregivers, siblings and peers, to form strong healthy
relationships and an understanding of their world. The two-dimensional world of
a tablet or smartphone does not provide these rich experiences, everything is
flat and the only movement is a swipe across the screen.
If this genie is not for going back in his bottle how can we
manage him? “Screen Sense: Setting the
Record Straight, Research based guidelines for screen use for children under
three years old” offers some practical advice for parents. It does not give
times and ages that children should be allowed screen time, but it offers some
other tips. Such as:
Watch and play together: to spend time talking and chatting
about what you see, you can ask open questions which will encourage the child
to think, such as asking about how the characters are feeling, or what they
will do next. Also get moving as much as possible and act out what the
characters on the screen are going, such as going to the park or playing ball.
Play screen-based games together: to help the child to take
turns, and talk about what is happening in the game, this will help them to
think about what is happening ad share the experience.
Make the connection between the screen and the real world:
As much as possible connect what your child sees on the screen with the real
world, such as being outside, seeing animals at the zoo or park.
Limit your use of screen time when you are with your child:
when you have a spare five minutes with your child, such as when waiting for
drinks to arrive at the café, don’t automatically reach for your phone, but talk
to your child, about what you see together, what’s on the menu, what you have
just done or are going to do next.
If you would like to download the full report or the handy
tips and guidelines then go to http://www.zerotothree.org/parenting-resources/screen-sense/
or contact Baby Moves and we can send you the link.
