Mackenzie asked: I've got a question for you. I have a preschool aged nephew who always seems to be playing some sort of video game (Wii, Nintendo, etc) to the point where it's hard to even talk to him anymore because he's so distracted. Do you know if there is any research out about young children and technology? If so, what does it have guidelines for what is and isn't appropriate for young children?
Thank you for your question, Mackenzie. Technology
is an important piece of our culture today and children know how to manage it,
sometimes even better than their own parents. The American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) has done a wonderful study about the amount of technology
children ages 0 to 6 are exposed to and how that affects their guidelines and
outdoor play (Vanderwater et al., 2007). The AAP set most of the US guidelines for
children’s needs.
Let me share a few of the findings from the AAP
study. The guidelines state that children under 2 years of age should not watch
any TV and children over two years should not watch any more than 2 hours a day
and these recommendations are based on how it affects the children’s attention
span. Children of all age groups tended to watch
more than the recommended TV, although it was not the case for all children. Video games were not used every day, but when they
were they averaged 55 minutes of console time those days. There are also a lot of different reasons for children to watch and use
media. Some parents have their children watch TV because they believe it will
help with learning, other children watch it because their other family members
are, and some do it as a soothing technique or to control behavior. However, media use did
not seem to affect the time spent on other activities such as reading a book or
outdoor play (Vanderwarer et al., 2007).
There are a lot of misconceptions about children and
electronic media which is probably from a lack of education. Technology is here
to stay and it is important that parents understand what that means for their
families, especially for the younger children that depend on the parents to
make so many of their daily decisions. We also have to remember that
recommendations do change and because today’s technology is new, the research
is also new and there are many moer studies to be done. The study states “at
this point, there are more ‘unknowns’ than ‘knowns’ in terms of the impact of
exposure to screen and electronic media on very young children’s development”.
So what does all of this mean for preschoolers? They
should not watch more than 2 hours of TV or media a day and less is always
better because we want our kids to be able to stay focused when necessary and
have good attention spans. Children should not have their own TVs, even if it
is convenient for the parents. Parenting is difficult and takes time, but look
at some of the other blog posts for ideas on what else you can do instead of
put the child in front of the TV.
Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology
Use among Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. Pediatrics, 118, e1006-e1015. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1804
I have noticed with my kids that the more t.v. they watch the more attitude and behavior problems we run into. We try to be strict with their screen time but it is hard especially when they jump from t.v. to the computer to the ipod to the phone. I want my kids to know what it is like to use their imagination and play outdoors. I agree that screen time should be limited and that it can have negative effects. I just wonder what we can do in our modern culture to help save our kids from a life looking at a screen.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing the research to answer this question I got my husband to agree to limit the amount of TV our children watch to less than the recommended limit. He is the primary care giver and it is great to know we are on the same page on things like this. I think you are on the right path because we won't make changes unless we have a desire to do something first.
DeleteSo many parents (and others) are concerned about the influence of technology - we need more research - your answer is helpful.
ReplyDeleteCheryl
I liked how you made this article fun to read, with fun cartoons and with a good research. And I agree media has a big effect on the children. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDarina Prokofyeva
Thanks for sharing. I agree that most children watch too much television. Unfortunately, it is too easy for a parent who is busy to turn on cartoons or start a DVD. I found it interesting that the study claimed television did not replace activities such as being outdoors. I would imagine that television and video games have contributed to the obesity epedemic in our culture.
ReplyDelete