Unlike 20 years ago, these days, kids are more often than not, staring into a screen, tweens and teens are texting short and incredibly earth shattering messages or furiously tapping and manipulating a joy stick that’s connected to a animated character that’s running, jumping, problem solving and maybe even saving the universe.
And while many of us think that these are harmless pastimes that help entertain your child during their idle moments and maybe helps with their eye-hand coordination and reaction times, too much screen time also carries with it certain risks.
To be sure, most adults today remember their favorite TV shows and certainly spent lots of time inside, yet today with the sheer number of available screen choices, more kids of all ages are spending less time outside and more time inside watching other people or characters engaged in life or make-believe. Fewer and fewer kids are outside playing, using their imaginations to take them to fantastical lands as they play with friends.
Parents have their own issues with screen time
But these days, it’s more difficult for parents to set limits on screen time. When parents are overwhelmed with their own overloaded schedules, it gets harder to stop looking at our own emails, and re-focus on other activities with our kids. We’re tired, and it’s easier to go with the flow, find a comfortable chair and sit down in front of a monitor or TV screen. How many times have you looked up from your own computer and discovered that your family is all-together in the house, each looking at their own screen?
Recent Comments