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healthykids


FAMILY SCREEN TIME How to Set Boundaries


in the Digital Era by April Thompson


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inecraft. Pokemon. Snapchat. Digital media dominates childhood. That time youngsters


used to spend playing with friends, being with family or sleeping has been zapped. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8-to-10-year-olds are daily exposed to nearly eight hours of on- screen media and heavy media users are twice as likely to report poor grades. Conscientious and concerned parents are setting limits on screen time and reclaiming family time. Experts, too, are working to defi ne a “new healthy” at a time when many activities, from homework to shopping, are moving online. “How can you begin to limit kids’ screen time when teachers are increasingly using media?” queries Pediatrician Corinn Cross, who practices in Los Angeles. “It’s hard. None of us grew up with this level of technology, and it’s moving faster than any advice can.”


Nip It Early Cross co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recently


20 Central Florida natural awakenings


updated digital media guidelines, which shifted from strict time limits to greater fl exibility for and within different age groups. For children under 18 months, the recommendation is to avoid media altogether outside of video chats with loved ones. In the older age ranges,


the guidelines are less prescriptive and more about setting individual limits that ensure getting enough sleep and physical activity along with achieving other developmental needs. Cross believes excessive screen time is particularly detrimental for younger kids that have fewer waking hours and more developing to do. “Toddlers don’t learn well from screens, so you will have limited return from using screens for education,” she observes. Kathy Marrocco, an Oakland


Township, Michigan, blogger with YourOrganicChild.com, initially worried about her kids’ potential adverse exposure to radiation from cell phone use. Her concern soon turned to other big impacts of digital media encroaching on their lives. She cites a study of 3,000 parents


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