Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 1

converse
curious
Cultivating Meaningful
Powerful narrative of “us”
truth seekers
Spending time in nature has many benefits.
To Screen or Not To Screen
By Julie Boyle
Have you ever said, “When I was your age, we
didn’t have cell phones. We had to go outside to
play,” or something similar? Whether we like it or not,
our advances in technology have increased the amount
of time we spend in front of a screen. Now that we are
living through a pandemic, and many things have gone
virtual, the amount of screen time we have to put in for
work or school has increased dramatically. Obviously,
we can’t eliminate screen time because we still need to
work and our kids still need to go to school. However, the
amount of time, and quality of what we are doing during
that screen time, could be further examined.
children 2-5 years old, limit screen time to an hour-a-day,
and watch with them to help them understand what they
are watching. For children 6 years old, and older, place
consistent limits on screen time and the types of media
they are using. Make sure screen time does not take the
place of adequate sleep, physical activity, other positive
actions, and interaction with friends and family.
On average, adults spend approximately 11 hours-a-day
staring at some type of screen. While some of that screen
time is inescapable, we need to be better about limiting
For children and youth, research shows that excessive
screen time is linked to health issues such as sleep
problems, behavior problems, impaired social skills,
lower scores on thinking and language tests, and more.
According to an article from Harvard Medical School,
the growing brain is continually building new neural
connections and eliminating less used ones. The use of
digital devices provides limited stimulation for the brain
compared to reality. Children need all kinds of offline and
online stimulation to help build those brains!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
avoiding screen time for children under 18 months,
other than video chatting. For children, 18-24 months,
choose high-quality programming and watch with your
child to help them understand what they are seeing. For
Office screen time.