All about Balance! The Tug of War with Screen Time
Contributors: Casey Upfold and Alice Rushing, MASc. Psychologist
In recent years, we have experienced the ever-increasing role of screen time. How often do you find yourself sitting side by side with someone else, while you both are on a hand-held device? Or when walking through a restaurant, how many toddlers do you notice sitting contently with a screen in front of them? Whether we are checking emails, ordering food, or on social-media, we are now living in an era where everything seems to be readily accessible to us through technology. This can raise some important questions for us about how this effecting ourselves, our children, and how parents could potentially be playing a role.
As we know, the type of environment provided to children can help them develop certain skills and build their brains to become either “stronger” or “weaker”. Occupational therapist and psychotherapist Victoria Prooday describes while parents often have the best intentions giving devices to their children to curve their boredom, or to temporarily “babysit” them, it is possible that it may be molding their brains in the wrong direction. Prooday suggests that parents are allowing them to experience a world with no dull moments, and one with instant gratification.
Delayed gratification is a key factor for future success, as it encompasses the ability to function under stress and persist through tasks. As we get older, we can observe the importance of this skill in school, work, and in our social lives. In times when we put off hangout out with friends in order to do homework, sit through a dull presentation at work, or waiting patiently to contribute your opinion to a conversation, we are practicing methods of delayed gratification. These types of self-control and self-regulation help us to resist the urge to gain immediate gratification, and replacing it with the idea of gaining a more valuable reward in the future: but are our children given the same opportunities to develop this skill?
Prooday suggests that children are gradually becoming less equipped to deal with even minor stressors. It is not that parents are necessarily spoiling their children with technology, but rather, not giving them the opportunity to develop patience and persistence.
Research has also shown that too much screen time may be impeding a child’s ability to regulate their own emotions and maintain attention because the device is doing that for them. The quick feedback technology provides is not what happens in the real world, where patience is key when waiting for results. Children are experiencing “sensory overload” as their brains are getting use to high levels of stimulation from screens, which leaves children at risk for being more impulsive, moody and struggling to pay attention in the classroom.
Ultimately, it is not about cutting off screen-time completely from children, but rather, encouraging a balance between it and other activities in order to help their development in the right direction for future success!
Here is how you can reduce screen time for your child:
Consider where you can replace a screen with a portable game or a colouring book in a restaurant.
Play travel games in the car instead of relying on technology to keep your children content in the back seat.
Create an “Activity Jar” at home – holding ideas for fun and creative activities they can choose from when they say, “I’m bored!”
Involve your kids in household chores to teach persistence and help them tolerate monotony
Resources
Victoria Prooday’s Website: https://yourot.com/
References
Lissak, G. (2018). Adverse physiological and psychological effects of screen time on children and adolescents: Literature review and case study. Environmental Research, 164, pages 149-157
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, K. W. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population based study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283