How much Screen Time is OK
There has been a lot of heated debates how much screen time is good for each age group. The general consensus is the less the better, and I agree with that 100%. Whether it is 1 hour or 2 hours it is still debatable. I am going to provide a solution I implemented in my house that reduced the screen time to 10-15 minutes a day, and an occasional longer movie.
From my observations I noticed that kids, 4-7 years old, that are my son's peers no longer know how to play. They get bored extremely fast with toys (often after 10-15 minutes), want to be disruptive, and crave the attention from adults as we we tend to provide the entertainment for them. Often they run to the TV or reach for an iPad to find distraction, but they do not really watch it in a meaningful way.
How some YouTube channels succeeded
Have you noticed how many subscriptions and likes some channels targeting kids have? And all they do is show different toys, open kinder egg surprises, and do other things that I perceive as non valuable to the young brain development.
My solution
While banning iPad or TV is an option, I did not want to be the parent that stops kids from being able to watch things. Hence I went a completely different route - that would teach them a smart decision making.
My son is allowed to watch as much as he wants of any content acceptable for his age. However, after the video is done we pause and have some homework to do! And unless the homework is completed to the satisfactory level no new videos are allowed.
1. Discussion after the video
We talk about the video and its content. What was the plot, what happened. What is good about the video, what was bad about it. This discussion helps in the critical evaluation of the content, and also facilitates development of the storytelling skills.
2. Writing the story
My son is in the kindergarten, hence I ask him to write one to two sentences about the video. It can be anything related to the video content, feelings about the video, or any thoughts associated with it. This process helps in the evaluation of the video and internalise the feelings associated with it. Also, it helps in strengthening the storytelling, and improve writing.
Where the idea came from?
I derived this idea from my own experience of watching documentaries and journaling about it afterwards. It really helped me is being selective and critically evaluating content.
I think the mindless watching is the worst thing we had introduced to our lives as it waste our time, adds stress, and discourages interpersonal communication. It took me some time to figure out why watching a comedy was often actually stressful for me rather than relaxing.
While not all content is bad, and even bad content can help in developing critical thinking; hence shutting it all off is not really an answer, but being selective is important. The media is competing for our attention from all angles, and learning to deal with it in a smart, not threatening way is the best way forward.