As teachers, we often comment on the impact that increased screen time seems to be having on pupils’ attention and listening skills, concentration, and levels of engagement.
As parents, however, of course we are guilty of allowing our children to spend time on screens! So, with that being said, we write this post for ourselves as much as for anyone else.
Although children will never remember their best day of screen time, we believe it can have a lasting impact on them. Take 'YouTube' for example. How many babies or toddlers don’t know what ‘Cocomelon’ is? Our own children loved it. That, along with all the others! Although these types of videos can have many benefits and children can learn from them, it is only as our own children have grown that we have realised how they have become accustomed to short bursts of engaging content, which very often has music, vibrant colours and gaming type sounds attached. Have you noticed that longer cartoons, tv shows or videos are often not watched to the end? We have! It is so important to be aware of how much time our children are spending on screens and to reduce that time when possible.
Research has shown that children who spend too much time watching TV, playing video games, or using a tablet or smartphone are more likely to experience emotional and social problems and have difficulties sustaining attention. Too much screen time can also negatively affect sleep and academic performance in school.
More time for screens means less time for play!
Perhaps the main use of a smartphone or tablet should be to capture and remember together all the wonderful experiences and memories we create away from being on screens! 💛