Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Screen Time & Children: An Update

Two articles were published on October 26th in the NY Times; The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids is not What We Expected and A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley. Both Articles by Nellie Bowles are not all together shocking as we have been reading more and more reports about limiting a child’s screen time. Earlier this year GPL posted a blog article about balancing screen time. The author had only touched on the idea that screen time can be harmful to everyone (not just children) especially those with addictive personalities. There is still not enough quantifiable research that shows a direct correlation to screen time and bad behaviors. However, humans are currently taking part in this large social experiment whether they want to be or not. These are uncharted waters and our children are the test subjects. Reducing screen time is necessary. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a Family Media Plan Tool to help families balance their use of media and daily life. Parents and caregivers may not want to wait for those concrete statistics to make sure our children are equipped to make healthy choices in the future.

Additional Reading:
Is Screen Time Bad for Children? Geekdad.com
Media & Young Minds The American Academy of Pediatrics