Screen Time: Too Much is Too Much

Kids are not smoking so much.

That is good, but schools and colleges are seeing a problem that may be as serious as smoking. 

We see kids who have never been outside for more than ten minutes. We see kids that do not know how to play with toys. We see kids that have never played with other kids where adults are not dictating the game.

This is not good.

Professors see it and teachers experience it: students with glazed eyes, overly tired, easily bored, and never outdoors. There are several causes, but the biggest we find: screen time. Mostly phones, sometimes computers, often television with a device (game machine, Apple TV), students are averaging seven hours of screen time a day and it is not good.This isn’t in doubt.

Think: seven hours of screen time. You don’t have to want to ban devices to say that seven hours is too much, far too much. Classical and Christian philosophy made moderation a virtue and whatever is done immoderately becomes a vice. We know roughly how much screen time is good for kids: less than two hours with no screen time for kids under two. 

Of course adults may be averaging eleven hours of screen time.  We know this is bad for us. So we get it: screen time has to go.

What should be done?

Here are seven necessary steps to take for all of us:

Schools and home school programs should spend significant time each day outdoors. 

Restore recess. Allow kids to play games they invent. Ditch the “playground” equipment for natural play space: small hills to climb, trees for shade, a field (not mowed) for exploration. Those of us who are grown ups should get outside as well. Let’s ditch the gym and take walks, run, or find ways to workout in nature.

Don’t leave going outside on break to the smokers. Walk out the door and see the street on which you work!

Use technology in school time very sparingly. 

There are some classes (film, programming) that must use screen time, but for almost any other class there is little research that shows that technology does much for learning. Assume kids are already getting too much screen time.

Don’t play into a problem, avoid any “on-line” program that does not also push significant “real world” experiences. You can discuss on line, but then go outside and do something: visit a museum, art gallery, or the woods. 

Turn off  all mobile devices when not at work or during school hours.

If you have kids, use the applications on the smart phone that turn off web browsing during blocks of time during the day. Even better: don’t buy a child a smart phone, get a dumb phone for calls so you can keep in touch!

Question: Why do most of us need smartphones? What about a dumb phone for texts and calls and an iPad for entertainment consumption at home?

Set up “screen free” zones in our lives. 

Those of us who are grownups should have “screen free” zones in our lives. My suggestion for screen free zones: all meals, the bedroom, after a certain time (7?), and at any event where pictures do not need to be taken.

If you have kids, make the same rules once you are doing them!

Limit gaming and personal video watching on mobile or system devices to Saturday.

If you are my age, you remember longing for Saturday to see “cartoons.” It was the only day of the week where there was a big chunk of fun children’s programming. The anticipation made it special. Let’s restore that “fun zone” and allow game play, video watching, and personal entertainment screen time for Saturday and holidays.

Work days are for family television programs or for no television at all. 

Netflix means there is always something on. Watch a show together as a family (or couple for those of us with no kids or grown up kids!) as a week night treat. Otherwise, the screens are off. Nobody watches alone except for Saturday mornings!

Holidays can be much less restrictive. 

We play a lot of games, especially video games, on holidays, because we have time. That makes them more fun. A long game can last years if you only enjoy it one some Saturdays and holidays.

Check email, Facebook, and Twitter at set times and not in between.

Set up times where social media is used. A student might check in the morning before school and then after school. Treat social media as had to be done when everything was on a computer at home.

(Tip: some of us adults have jobs that require frequent social media use. Recognize this and still limit use to specific times. I try to check at the top of the hour.)

I am working on all these myself . . . with some success, but no complete victory. I have a job where I spend a great deal of time on a screen and so I try not to pick non-work activities that are also on a screen. 

Dieting is hard for me . . . and so is moderating screen time. Just as trying to eat healthy choices and lose excess weight is good . . . even if I do not always reach goals, so we can improve with our use of screen time. What if all Americans cut screen time in half? That would be a good start . . . but I had better just start with me!