Screen time

[moonlight]

2 questions:

 

What are your family rules about screen time?

 

Also, I have noticed that, in general, the families in which there is little to no screen time for the kids have kids that are very creative and or just more productive with that creativity. Do you find that to be true?

[SparklyUnicorn]

I would only consider screen time rules if I felt it was necessary.  So I don't have any rules about it.  I have one who watches TV on Saturday morning. He's funny, he even sets his alarm clock for it.  I think it's a 1/2 hour show.  Then the other, he sometimes watches Star Trek on the Kindle, but that's about it.

 

I watch more TV than my kids do. 

 

 

[kewb]

I found that when screen time is limited my kids are more creative. When they were little I limited screen time.

Among friends i found that some kids needed limits and others were self motivated.

[Pawz4me]

Our kids have always been good at self regulating, so we've never had any rules.  Plus our general belief is that any time something is limited that thing tends to become much more valuable and sought after.

[Katy]

Definitely limit screen time for littles, and limit snarky rude teen stuff for all.  We have one large tv and adults control it except for picking netflix movies.

[Ausmumof3]

If my kids have too much screen time then I put it away I hear an awful lot of "I'm bored, what can I do. Without screen time at all they fill their time without problems. I'm more creative with screen time limits too, but not very good at imposing them.

 

I think it's useful to differentiate between screen time that is creative and educational and just general sit and watch stuff though.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Our kids have always been good at self regulating, so we've never had any rules.  Plus our general belief is that any time something is limited that thing tends to become much more valuable and sought after.

 

Yup.  I have definitely met people who had kids where this way of thinking didn't pan out, but it often does. 

 

Sometimes when my kids get something new that I hope they don't waste too much time on I just let them go crazy.  The novelty wears off fast and they are onto something else.  My dad bought them a Wii.  After a week of being able to do what they wanted with it, they hardly looked at it.

 

 

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Not all screen time is equal.

 

My kids spend a fair amount of time on their computers watching youtube videos on whatever they are interested in (guitar lessons, programming, technology), viewing lessons (Chalkdust Math lectures, Khan academy and Science Videos), editing videos, and homework (research papers, slideshows, etc.).

 

My oldest is a gamer, so yes, he spends time playing League. My youngest is a musician and records and edits music on his pc.

 

Both watch Netflix on their pcs.

 

So they have a lot of screen time, but I think the majority of it is productive - IMHO, of course.

[trulycrabby]

We don't limit screen time per se, but xbox is turned off until 3:00pm on weekdays. Soccer keeps DS10 busy at least 3-4 nights per week, then there is chess club one night. So, conveniently, there just isn't a lot of time to play. :)

[Twolittleboys]

I don't like limiting screen time but feel I have to. One of my kids would be fine without any limits - he enjoys screen time but can turn it off without any problems. My other son not so much. I generally let them have a generous amount (as I do think self-regulating would be great) until it just gets too much. Then I pretty much cut it out completely for a while (as this leads to far less confrontations than limiting it). Eventually I relent and we start over. I probably should be more consistent but I do keep hoping ds will get better at self-regulating...

[Serenade]

Also, I have noticed that, in general, the families in which there is little to no screen time for the kids have kids that are very creative and or just more productive with that creativity. Do you find that to be true?

I don't know about other families, but when we were on a schedule that included electronic-free days, my boys were both creative in other ways -- one went back to physically building and creating things, and the other did more reading. Still, there was a lot of resentment on their part, so I am no longer enforcing the ban -- we're trying something else instead. I've told them both that I'm merely rethinking things, that we still need to come up with some electronics-free times, but I'm thinking best how to do that. I've told them both that if they self-limit, then mom and dad won't have to.

[Farrar]

We have three kinds of "screen" use in our house: educational, creative, and for fun. Screens for fun are limited to about two hours a day. Some days it's more. Some it's less. It's more of a routine than anything else. No fun screens until after 5pm. Educational and creative screens are allowed any time - typically the kids will use the screens to play board games like chess or Ticket to Ride with each other when we're waiting somewhere or they'll play math games in between things sometimes. When they have a long chunk of free time, they'll often use screens to do digital art, make movies, or program on Scratch. In this sense, I feel like screens have enhanced, not held back their creativity. Additionally, we use screens for watching stuff as a family sometimes or to watch documentaries during the school day.

 

We're pretty happy with our screen parameters.

[Loowit]

Our limits are no screen time during school hours unless it is needed for school.  And we limit what games, social media, etc. that they are allowed to use.  Otherwise there really aren't any time limits that we impose.  If I feel like they are spending too much time on TV or Computer then I will strongly suggest they take a break and find something else to do.  All of my kids are very creative.

[AmandaVT]

I don't limit TV because DS can take it or leave it most of the time. If he wants to watch a Beakman's world or Magic School bus or winnie the pooh for an hour in the late afternoon, that's fine with me. I do limit game time. He's been playing stack the countries and stack the states which are both great games, but he'd play it for hours at a time if I let him. So he's limited to 1/2 hr of time on the kindle per day. Maybe when he gets older, he'll be able to self regulate better, but for now I love Kindle Free time because I can set it to 30 minutes and then he has to switch to reading a book. 

[Ausmumof3]

The second part of your question is just one big fat stereotype.

 

We do have rules, but those rules allow rather a lot of screen time. Guess what ? Kids can be creative USING A COMPUTER! Kids can be creative EVEN IF THEY WATCH TV!

 

Soooo tired of the anecdotal 'evidence' that being highly restrictive of screen time equals better kids.

 

I do agree that not all screen time is equal.

Can be... We did mostly unlimited for a while and for our family it had a definite negative effect. My kids are in the younger age group though. I really noticed it when the iPad was off limits due to a broken screen. Everyone played together much more pleasantly and school work happened without complaining.

 

Fwiw I don't think it's just screen time. I read incessantly as a kid and while it had some benefits I think I would have been better off if I had had some limits put on reading etc. Most things are good in moderation. If your kids moderate themselves that's great but some really do need a bit of help.

[Reefgazer]

We have strict limits on screen time here - no screens except for schoolwork on the weekdays, and 2 hours total (computer, iPod, TV) on each weekend day with no carryover time.  They spend their weekend time on Minecraft, mostly.  The screen time limit does not appear to have hindered their ability to function online in any way; computer skills are not hard to acquire in one afternoon anyway. 

 

I have not noticed a change in creativity *specifically* in relation to screen time, but among my kids and their friends, their behavior degrades markedly when they have excess screen time.  I notice increased bickering, decreased interest in any other physical or creative activity, and a more disrespectful attitude.  Most parents on my block limit screen time at least as much as I do.  The one kid who is a friend of DS's and who has no limits and his behavior is one very distracted kid, and is disinterested in most other activities.  My experience only and YMMV, but I am not impressed with the effect of screens on my kids' behavior.  It takes a several days for their behavior to return to normal if they've had excess screen time.  Quite honestly, if my DH would agree, I would ditch all the screens in the house (TV and iPods included); they're a time suck.

[Joanne]

When they were very, very young my rules were that I used (yes, it goes against everything experts say) the TV when I needed a break, was pregnant and sleepy or sick, or when a younger sibling was sleeping and I needed some down time. TV was probably limited to less than 1 hour a day.

 

Later, my rules were: No TV or other screens before school work and chores were done. If there was someone (other than a sibling) to play with. I encouraged OUTSIDE if it was reasonable (which was often, I lived in AZ and TX). When I ran a daycare and had before and afterschool kids, everyone got 1/2 an hour, but not if they watched the other's time - I then took away the option for everyone.

 

Gosh, since they were double digits? Nothing, really. They are self-regulating. My boys overplay new X Box games for about 2 days and then back to a very reasonable pattern.

 

I have seen (and treated) screen addicted kids - that is a different ball game altogether.

 

[Joanne]

We have strict limits on screen time here - no screens except for schoolwork on the weekdays, and 2 hours total (computer, iPod, TV) on each weekend day with no carryover time.  They spend their weekend time on Minecraft, mostly.  The screen time limit does not appear to have hindered their ability to function online in any way; computer skills are not hard to acquire in one afternoon anyway. 

 

I have not noticed a change in creativity *specifically* in relation to screen time, but among my kids and their friends, their behavior degrades markedly when they have excess screen time.  I notice increased bickering, decreased interest in any other physical or creative activity, and a more disrespectful attitude.  Most parents on my block limit screen time at least as much as I do.  The one kid who is a friend of DS's and who has no limits and his behavior is one very distracted kid, and is disinterested in most other activities.  My experience only and YMMV, but I am not impressed with the effect of screens on my kids' behavior.  It takes a several days for their behavior to return to normal if they've had excess screen time.  Quite honestly, if my DH would agree, I would ditch all the screens in the house (TV and iPods included); they're a time suck.

 

Although I disagree with the approach in paragraph 1, I agree with paragraph 2.

 

[maize]

The above simply does not happen in my house. (degradation of behaviour tied to screen-use). As we are not a unique family, I assume that it's also the case for other families. Screens don't create behaviour that wasn't already there, imo.

I think that this, as with so many other things, is very dependent on the person. People respond differently to electronics just as they do to every other stimulus; some are more prone to overuse and addiction, some find watching videos etc. calming while others find it over stimulating. I remember recently reading a report of a study showing that kids performed more poorly on facial expression recognition tests after spending a certain amount of screen time than they did otherwise. In general only some specific portions of the brain are engaged and active during screen-oriented activities, so it seems plausible that over stimulation of some areas and under stimulation of others could impact mental processes and behavior.

 

Videos work remarkably well to calm down my over-excitable child when she is in meltdown mode, and I suspect that engaging certain parts of the brain while allowing others to disengage may be at the heart of that. But what is positive in some circumstances for one child may be a negative in different circumstances and for a different child; I am not happy about the amount of time my two year old currently spends watching Dora videos, I do not at all believe that is best for his development at the moment :(

[Slache]

We ditched our TV before they were born and due to their ages they don't get computer time. We watch a movie when everyone's sick.

[SparklyUnicorn]

The second part of your question is just one big fat stereotype.

 

We do have rules, but those rules allow rather a lot of screen time. Guess what ? Kids can be creative USING A COMPUTER! Kids can be creative EVEN IF THEY WATCH TV!

 

Soooo tired of the anecdotal 'evidence' that being highly restrictive of screen time equals better kids.

 

I do agree that not all screen time is equal.

 

I often wonder if when books became more affordable and mainstream if parents didn't lament at the wasted time spent with one's nose in a book.  I remember my mother getting mad at me if I spent too much time with a book.  So there's always something it seems.

[SKL]

I am not sure about the more creative part.  I think having some screen time gives kids ideas and inspiration and they take off from there.  I think it does give language skills a boost too.  But I think it's good to have free time without screens so they can actually try stuff for themselves.

 

Most days my kids watch zero non-interactive screens.  School, homework, extracurriculars, chores, and sleep all come first.  :)  They are not allowed to turn the boob toob on without prior permission.  It's just always been that way, so no need to fight about it.  Some days if they get everything else done, they watch a couple shows or a movie on DVD.  Every Friday is "fun day" with no work allowed after school, and we generally watch at least one show together that day, and sometimes a movie on Saturday.

 

They do each have a DS which they are allowed to play when they don't need to be doing something else.  They only use it a couple/few times a week.

[SereneHome]

I don't have any scientific data or anything really, except personal experience.

 

My oldest is the biggest TV junkie of them all

 

My oldest is the most creative one of them all.  His stories and games that he plays are so elaborate, that I think he is 5 minutes away from writing a novel (and he probably would if he knew how to write on that level).  But left to his own devices - he'll watch and watch and watch all kinds of stupid TV

[Truscifi]

We are pretty lax on screen time. Brotherman utilizes a lot of online resources for school, and once school work and chores are done he is allowed to play online until it is time to leave for our evening activities. Depending on the day and how hard he works to get his requirements done, he might get no time at all or 2 hours. On the evenings we get home early he will sometimes play online before bed as well.

 

After he gets tired of playing outside in the dirt, Babyman watches a cartoon with whoever is watching him while the others are in karate class. We are there most days, so he watches a show most days. I keep trying to get him interested in some of the educational apps I've found, but so far no luck. He really just wants to watch Curious George.

[NoseInABook]

I used to strictly limit screen time. For the past 6 months or so, I've been letting them self regulate. They do turn off the computer and go do other things. They're still creative enough that people point it out in public situations and comment on that. I have no concerns with it as long as they DO walk away from the computer at some point in time and pick something else up. Most of the time they'll watch an episode of something or a couple Lego short videos and then go play, drag out the art supplies, grab books, etc. I did a media ban for a few days at the beginning of the week because they were starting to argue over which show to watch but that's the first time I've limited it in a while.

[Gentlemommy]

One hour of screen time per day, only after school and chores were done. It's our 'rest' time.

[Joanne]

The above simply does not happen in my house. (degradation of behaviour tied to screen-use). As we are not a unique family, I assume that it's also the case for other families. Screens don't create behaviour that wasn't already there, imo.

 

 

I have a checklist I run through or suggest to others when behavior is deteriorating from an earlier standard. Too much screen time is on the list. I have personally experienced an increased attitude, whiny-er, listless, and drop in vocabulary when "too much screen time" was part of our family rhythm.

 

Hasn't happened in years, but was an occasional issue in earlier years when I supposed the kids were more vulnerable to the effects of too many hours being essentially passive.

 

Other families have found that changing things up in that regard has been helpful to them, also.

 

A couple of correlating issues might be confounding, though: parental or child depression, and the *lack* of what we would be engaged in instead.

 

[albeto.]

The above simply does not happen in my house. (degradation of behaviour tied to screen-use). As we are not a unique family, I assume that it's also the case for other families. Screens don't create behaviour that wasn't already there, imo.

 

Similar in our home. We have no screen restrictions. My kids opt for different times and uses of different screens. They're used for utilitarian reasons, creative reasons, as well as just vegging out. There are other ways of vegging out besides screens, and because it's always available there is no hoarding of the opportunity (something I did see before restrictions fell away). I interpret bickering or restlessness as a symptom of something else, a problem that hasn't been solved (sometimes not identified), and screens are simply not an effective solution for their needs at that time (ie, relaxing, decompressing). Finding the issue that inspired the stress is a goal regardless of how much screen time is being used. There are things I wish my kids would do instead of screen time, but then, there are things my kids do that other parents wish their kids would do, so I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, eh?

[Reefgazer]

I also need to add that sick time gets a pass on the rules in our house.

When they were very, very young my rules were that I used (yes, it goes against everything experts say) the TV when I needed a break, was pregnant and sleepy or sick, or when a younger sibling was sleeping and I needed some down time. TV was probably limited to less than 1 hour a day.

 

Later, my rules were: No TV or other screens before school work and chores were done. If there was someone (other than a sibling) to play with. I encouraged OUTSIDE if it was reasonable (which was often, I lived in AZ and TX). When I ran a daycare and had before and afterschool kids, everyone got 1/2 an hour, but not if they watched the other's time - I then took away the option for everyone.

 

Gosh, since they were double digits? Nothing, really. They are self-regulating. My boys overplay new X Box games for about 2 days and then back to a very reasonable pattern.

 

I have seen (and treated) screen addicted kids - that is a different ball game altogether.

 

[Reefgazer]

Yes, screens do create behavior problems for my kids; I live with them and I see it.  My kids are dolls without the screens.  With the screens, not so much.

The above simply does not happen in my house. (degradation of behaviour tied to screen-use). As we are not a unique family, I assume that it's also the case for other families. Screens don't create behaviour that wasn't already there, imo.

 

[Ausmumof3]

I have a checklist I run through or suggest to others when behavior is deteriorating from an earlier standard. Too much screen time is on the list. I have personally experienced an increased attitude, whiny-er, listless, and drop in vocabulary when "too much screen time" was part of our family rhythm.

 

Hasn't happened in years, but was an occasional issue in earlier years when I supposed the kids were more vulnerable to the effects of too many hours being essentially passive.

 

Other families have found that changing things up in that regard has been helpful to them, also.

 

A couple of correlating issues might be confounding, though: parental or child depression, and the *lack* of what we would be engaged in instead.

I think the passiveness is the key. My kids sit totally still during screen time whereas they seem to do somersaults during read alouds. It's not the screen itself but just pent up energy that needs to be released by doing something really energetic.

 

And I don't think screens are bad for all kids equally. My ds is more self regulating, he watches for a bit then goes and copies whatever he was watching ... Mr maker or science experiments etc. dd gets absorbed and just wants to watch endlessly. You really just have to watch your kids and see how it plays out for them.

[SeaConquest]

Meh. I have bigger fish to fry than to impose strict screen time regulations for my older. I do keep it to near zero before age two though, per the AAP, for my little.

[Reefgazer]

Yes, that's exactly what I said - they increase behavior problems for *my* children.  Apparently, the parents of my kids' playmates think the same, because they severely restrict screen time for *their* kids for the same reason.  But then again, maybe it's the water here....

I'm not disputing they exacerbate problems for some kids.

 

All I was saying was that this doesn't happen for all kids in all families.

 

Some families don't have this happen. Their kids are dolls with screens in their lives.

 

There are many blanket statements and assumptions made about screens = bad, but for many families, that's not how it plays out for us.
 

 

[DoppeltGemoppelt]

I have to restrict screen time at our house. My oldest (16) goes by very different standards than my younger two (7). He was always allowed unlimited screen time. This was not so much a problem around age 7 til 12 or so. There was always a screen on somewhere, but he could self regulate fairly well and still be creative or play with his toys. fast foreward to age 16 and he literally cannot live without screens. From the moment he wakes up to the moment he falls asleep there has to be a screen in his hands at all times. The only exception to that is the marching band, which he excells at!

 

I do not want my younger kids to grow up addicted to screens, so they have very strict limits. Two hours each Fri, Sat & Sun, that's it. Come every Monday, and it's a battle, but they are both so creative it blows my mind! Lego, drawing, writing, building, creating games, woodcarving, you name it! Problem is here again though: there is a huge tendency towards screen addiction. I know it when I see it, and my kids certainly cannot self regulate. I am worried of the kind of people all three may become when left to their own devices...The last thing I want for any of them is to miss real live for the sake of screens.