4 ms·
The narrative around screen time seems to have been totally overthrown by the coronavirus. A year ago the health authorities were recommending limiting children
by lacker 6y ago
The narrative around screen time seems to have been totally overthrown by the coronavirus. A year ago the health authorities were recommending limiting childrens’ screen time. Now at a public school in California our children have mandatory three hours of screen time per day.
It just goes to show that these recommendations are not really based on science. It’s more like they are based on guesses by reasonable people when the science isn’t really that confident one way or the other. My personal suspicion is that some forms of screen time, like video calls with family or educational apps, are good for kids. And some forms, like watching TV, are bad for them.
- xphilter 6y agoI don’t think that’s true. As a parent, all my decisions are made by balancing a host of factors. Pre covid I limited screens because they should be talking, reading, playing with other kids, being active, etc. with covid, many of those alternatives were taken away so I’ve had to be flexible in the short term to again balance everything so my kids can interact with other kids and get access to learning opportunities. Post covid, I’ll do my best to limit screens again.
- nelaboras 6y agoOr the mandatory 3h of lessons are better than no lessons even if it means kids are staring a screens? It's not all black and white. That said, obviously the recommendations are not fully science based because the science is not clear-cut. One study will tell you about the spatial skills and reaction ability of ego shooters, another of the negative sides such as normalisation of violence, reduced quality of sleep, etc.