What recommendations should we be giving parents and youth when it comes to screen time? In past limiting some types of screen time made sense. A time when the American Pediatric Association (AAP) made long-standing screen time limits recommendations. However, those were based on research around passive television viewing and violent video games.
Since then the AAP has backtracked.
The APA acknowledges outdated views
In 2015 Dimitri Christakis, AAP
Council on Communication and Media member, revealed new information about the
recommendations. He confessed to the research that lead to the recommendations
was conducted before anyone knew the iPad, or similar interactive screen
devices, existed. He says that since screens are now more than just devices to
passively intake information, he has a different view. He explains
that today, screens “can be used to read books to children, and high-quality
apps are similar to toys. Therefore, the AAP needs to consider how these
devices are used instead of discouraging their use across the board. We don't
want to risk appearing so out of touch that we're irrelevant and people won't
take our advice seriously."
A year later, the AAP updated their views saying that families are better off doing away with hard-and-fast restrictions on screen time. Instead, their should be joint media engagement and/or awareness, guidance, and conversations about healthy, productive, and/or educational screen use.
In his book "The New Childhood," agrees. He lays out clear recommendations on healthy and productive ways adults can spend more screen time with young people to successfully prepare them for the digital world in which they live.
A year later, the AAP updated their views saying that families are better off doing away with hard-and-fast restrictions on screen time. Instead, their should be joint media engagement and/or awareness, guidance, and conversations about healthy, productive, and/or educational screen use.
In his book "The New Childhood," agrees. He lays out clear recommendations on healthy and productive ways adults can spend more screen time with young people to successfully prepare them for the digital world in which they live.
The other important point to remember is the usefulness of screens beyond just learning.
Yes. Screens are our books. They let
us publish books. The allow us to code and create for authentic audiences. They enable our math to become visual
so we can better understand how to solve equations. Screens enable us to
communicate and collaborate across geographic boundaries. We can interact and engage in powerful ways never before possible.
But, that’s just the start.
Assisting those with disabilities
The percentage of the population
with disabilities at any given time stands around 15 - 20%. For many of us
able-bodied, this is only a temporary state. A large percentage of the
population will experience disability at some point in their lives. It may be a
broken bone that puts us in crutches or a cast on our hand. We may experience
vision or hearing loss because of a medical condition. We may have cognitive
impairment as we age or because of an aneurysm. We may have an undiagnosed
learning condition like dysgraphia or Aspergers. Whether it is ourselves, a
friend, a child, parent, or other family member, we all have or no someone who
may have abilities that are impaired.
Fortunately, today technology can
help powerfully with all of these conditions.
That means we must think
differently about screen time.
Unfortunately, there is no
acknowledgement with the AAP about the value of screens to support those with
disabilities. The organization sees the world as things you do on screens and
things you do without screens. It fails to recognize the ways screens are being
integrated into the lives of so many.
Let’s take a look at a few
examples.
The power of screens to access abilities
Screens give a voice and unleashe the thoughts of Dillan and Meera
Screens become the eyes of Patrick.
Screens give sound to Shane.
Screens provide mobility for Todd.
Invisibly Abled
Screens are also helping those with
invisible disabilities. Like Immersive Reader and speech to text for
those with dyslexia or other literacy issues. There are accessibility features
for those who are color blind, or those prone to seizures. Translation
technology now can take words in an image turn them to text, translate them and read aloud.
Even those without a named
disability, often find that screen technology unleashes their ability to learn
or create in new ways.
Screens are a lifeline and learning
line in ways we may never have realized possible in the past.
The Verdict
When the conversations of screen time come up, the answer must
always be,there is not one answer. It depends on the individual. What they’re
doing matters. The abilities they wish to access and how they wish to do so
matters too.
Instead of talking about screen time, we can switch our
conversation to what a healthy media diet looks like for each individual. For
more help with that, Common
Sense Education has an entire media balance toolbox to guide you.
