NPR article- Kids and Screen Time: What Does the Research Say?

This article was published in 2014. Please click the link below to read the whole thing.

The takeaway point- According to a UCLA study, kids who spend a lot of time looking at a screen may be exhibiting a reduced ability to recognize emotions.

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Psychology Today Article- 10 Ways to Protect the Brain from Daily Screen Time

Click the link below to read the whole article. Takeaways- Too much screen time can damage the minds of young and old alike, but the cure includes outside time, healthy interactions with other people, exercise, natural light, and creative hands-on activities. To see the whole list, click below. Spoiler alert- you probably already know you should be doing most of the things on the list. LINK

Creating Your Own Screen Time Guidelines

I really liked this article from Common Sense Media. A nice breakdown is given of the various categories of screen time ranging from passive viewing to content creation. The article also advises parents to monitor children after screen time to assess whether the results are positive or negative. My wife and I began doing this somewhat instinctively a few years ago when we noticed that after watching a movie the night before our two oldest daughters were far more likely to say they were bored or couldn't think of anything to do. This was unusual for them, as normally they would spend huge portions of each day involved in creative play, crafting, and doing activities like puzzles. We decided at that time to limit screen time as much as possible. Click the link below to read the article. LINK

NPR Article- Screen Time Reality Check-For Kids and Parents

Click the link below to read the whole article. My takeaways- The average parent spends over 9 hours a day looking at a screen, and 80% of parents think they are setting a good example for their children when it comes to screen time. Is there a disconnect here? This article also recognizes the disconnect that sometimes exists between what parents "know" and what is possible, for example, convincing kids to eat healthy foods. LINK

The Screen Time Project

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