We live in an electronic age, surrounded by people completely engrossed in their computers, tablets, cellphones, and other devices. It is not unusual to see a table of teenagers (and adults) in a restaurant, not talking directly to each other, but with their heads down communicating through their cellphones. While electronic media can be used to reinforce lessons, too often it is used as a pacifier, robbing children of valuable interactions with their family and friends and the world around them.
Therefore, it is very important that parents limit the amount of screen time to a small percentage of their daily activities. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that children ages 2-5 should keep their screen time under an hour per day. I think it should be even less. Children should instead spend the majority of their time engaged with others and with their surroundings: children, adults, and relatives; indoors and outdoors; running, jumping, bike riding, playing ball and walking around the neighborhood.
There are times when screen time is appropriate. For example, my kindergarten class was buddies with a kindergarten class in Gorxheimertal, Germany. They really enjoyed interacting with each other through their video chat sessions every week. It is also appropriate to use educational software and videos to reinforce what you are teaching, as long as you are also interacting with them during that time.
Some additional guidelines from this site: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/screentime-preschool.html are:
- Video chatting with others is not considered as screen time, since they are interacting with other people in real-time.
- Research the apps and sites you let your children visit, then interact with them and help them get the most from the content.
- Set an example – turn off all devices 1 hour before bedtime (even yours).
