Managing Screen Time For Elementary School Aged Kids
Scientists at the NIH.gov have begun the largest long term study on tech impact on the human brain. They’ll follow more than 11,000 kids for a decade, and spend $300 million doing it. The interviews and data from the NH study have already revealed that kids who spend more than two hours a day on screens scored lower on thinking and language tests. Many other reputable studies have confirmed links between: increased screen time and decreased cognitive ability and social skills; impaired language development; mood disorders; poor sleeping and eating habits; short attention span, and irritability.
71% of tweens and children as young as 7 are exposed to online pornography - a vast majority view it accidetally. Unfortunately, the largest group of internet porn consumers is children ages 12-17. Empower your kids by educating them in an honest and ongoing conversation about the harms of porn. Help and guidance on this topic can be found here: FightTheNewDrug.org
GUIDELINES:"For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the timespent using media." American Academy of Pediatrics
Ensure media use does not interfere with sleep and physical activity: no screens in bedrooms, no screens at family meals, and at least an hour before bedtime.
Preview programs, games and apps before allowing your child to view or play with them. Organizations such as CommonSenseMedia.org can help you determine what's appropriate. Better yet, watch, play or use them with your child.
Seek out interactive options that engage your child, rather than those that just require pushing and swiping or staring at the screen.
Use parental controls to block or filter internet content.
Make sure your child is close by during screen time so that you can supervise their activities.
Ask your child regularly what programs, games and apps ho or she has played with during the day.
When watching programming with your child, discuss what you're watching and educate them about advertising and commercials.
Avoid fast-paced programming, which young children have a hard time understanding, apps with a lot of distracting content, and violent media.
Model good behavior by monitoring your own screen time and practicing healthy tech habits.
Make sure screen time is not replacing reading, socializing and outdoor play.
We're in the midst of a natural, kind of uncontrolled experiment on the next generation of children. Tech devices should be tools that you use, Not a tool that uses you." - National Institutes of Health
Cyber Safety Issues: Children tend to share too much information about themselves online and are vulnerable to sexual predators. Wo advise parents to enforce the age restriction of 13 years old before they allow kids their own social media profile. A 2019 Bark study revealed: 76% of tweens experienced cyberbullying as a bully, victim, or witness. 76% of tweens engaged in conversations surrounding drugs/alcohol. 87% of tweens expressed or experienced violent subject matter/thoughts. To get help monitoring potential harmful online environments your child is exposed to, check out www.bark.us.
DID YOU KNOW? Many Silicon Valley CEOs raise their kids with limited technology, and they even make their nannies sign no-phone' contracts. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates raised their children mostly tech-free! Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, and Shark Tank star Marc Cuban strictly limit their children's screen time throughout the week.
Watch short educational videos (ED Talks) about these topics & more at TeenEsteem.org
