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Why the battle about screen time is one worth having.  

How much screen time does your child have in a day?

In an ideal world, parents have hours each day to spend with their kids. Fairy godmothers provide daily fresh, healthy dinners and the weather (as well as your toddler’s mood) is always sunny and pleasant. 

Unfortunately, moms and dads work, traffic exists, fairy godmothers are a fantasy and kids, and skies are often plagued by moody weather. 

The easy way out 

What do you prefer: a screaming, fussy kid in the back seat, climbing out of their car seat in frustration, or a placidly quiet kid, anesthetised by a tablet screen, but safely strapped in while you navigate rush hour traffic?  

What’s easier: quickly throwing together dinner while your kid catches up on Peppa Pig, or fighting with an overly helpful, constantly questioning kitchen goblin who wants to work with sharp knives and boiling water? 

No one ever promised parents that getting it right would be easy. 

“There will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.” Albus Dumbledore  

Pick your battles 

Some fights are not worth it. Who cares if your kid wants to go barefoot everywhere? Mealtime fights? Toddlers need much less food than we think.  

Skip the getting-dressed and eating-everything-on-your-plate fights.  

But the screen time fight? That’s one worth having.  

According to the experts, screen time inhibits young children’s ability to read faces and learn crucial social skills. Face-to-face interactions are the only way to teach kids how to read and interpret non-verbal cues. 

Screen time causes physical changes in a child’s brain.  

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), kids who spend two hours a day on screen time have a marked lower score on language and thinking tests. 

Even worse, kids who spend more than 7 hours a day on screens showed a thinning of the brain’s cortex, which is the part responsible for critical thinking and reasoning.  

The post screen time meltdown.  

Many parents are familiar with the meltdown, anger and temper tantrums that young children and toddlers exhibit when they are denied screen time. This is a clear sign of addiction but also happens because children have less chance to process their own emotions through outdoor play and normal social interactions. 

Signs of screen time addiction in children and teens… (And adults!):  

Looking at their mobile device or other screens first thing when they wake up. And as the last thing before they fall asleep. 

Having very few other activities they enjoy or participate in. 

Observing withdrawal symptoms such as anger and temper tantrums when you ask them to turn off the device. 

Showing impacts on their health such as back pain and strained eyes.