“Doing no screen time is almost easier than doing a little,” says Ms. Stecher. If my kids do get it at all, they just want it more.” She and her husband have found it easier to only bring out screens on multi-hour car or plane rides. Other than that, their kids get no screen time at all except for a Friday night family movie. She told the NYT that they came to the decision as a couple after researching screen time dangers versus the benefits. To them, cutting out screen time was a no-brainer.
In my house, I’ll be honest, we do more screen time than I’m comfortable with, but I did hold off on a smart phone for my oldest until he was 14. Also, he is not allowed to have social media at all and NO ONE is allowed to use screens with a closed door. My youngest is allowed very limited video game time on weekends only, and can only use the iPad for learning games (he has apps for handwriting, reading comprehension, and math.)
But still…I’d be perfectly happy if we had no screen at all. It’s definitely a very thin, trembling tightrope between screen time benefits and screen time dangers, and it’s one that we are the first generation of parents having to figure out. However, the response of the parents of the tech community carries a lot of weight with me.
Have you decided that screen time dangers outweigh the benefits in your home? How do you keep a handle on it?
