{"id":20037,"date":"2020-03-20T23:14:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T23:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=20037"},"modified":"2020-03-21T16:25:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-21T16:25:33","slug":"parents-cut-yourself-some-slack-on-screen-time-limits-while-youre-stuck-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/parents-cut-yourself-some-slack-on-screen-time-limits-while-youre-stuck-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents, cut yourself some slack on screen time limits while you’re stuck at home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brenna Hassinger-Das<\/a>, Pace University <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As families hunker down during the coronavirus pandemic, many parents may wonder how much screen time they should let their kids have. Brenna Hassinger-Das, a scholar of children and technology<\/a>, shares one rule it\u2019s OK to break, one rule parents can bend and a best practice worth upholding.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Break: Previous daily screen time limits<\/h2>\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics warns<\/a> parents that letting children spend too much time watching TV shows or playing video games on any device can make them more anxious, reduce their ability to control impulses and disturb their sleep. How much screen time<\/a> varies by age. The doctors\u2019 group advises avoiding all screen time, aside from video chats, for babies and toddlers up to 18 months old, and sets gradually increasing limits after that.<\/p>\n

Between the ages of 2 and 5, for instance, the academy estimates that kids can safely get up to an hour of daily screen time, as long as their parents or caregivers join in. It advises parents of kids 6 and up to consistently limit time spent using digital media and to make sure that screen time doesn\u2019t displace sleep or physical activity.<\/p>\n

As a mom, I have to admit that these recommendations often seem impossible to follow. Personally, I believe that it\u2019s worth breaking this particular rule. I have found the evidence behind the academy\u2019s specific limits not compelling enough to warrant firmly adhering the guidelines with my own child, who is now 6 years old.<\/p>\n

Professionally, I\u2019ve observed that the available data doesn\u2019t definitively indicate<\/a> whether screen time makes kids significantly worse off. It only suggests that several behavioral and health problems might be related to excessive screen time. As I\u2019m now teaching online and working from home, my child has been completing school lessons while relying on devices and spending more time than usual watching TV and playing games on our tablet. Life is changing in my house \u2013 as it has no doubt in yours too.<\/p>\n

As of now, there\u2019s little compelling evidence backing up concerns over the dangers of screen time for preschoolers<\/a>, in particular. So when the parents of little kids let their child watch a video to make it possible for the grownups to make dinner or take a phone call, there\u2019s no reason to beat themselves up.<\/p>\n