One of the most frustrating issues modern parents face is how to manage children\u2019s screen time.<\/p>\n
Official guidelines<\/a><\/strong> say kids aged five to 18 years should spend no more than two hours a day using screens, and children under two years<\/a> <\/strong>should not use a screen at all. But in a world dominated by tablets and mobile phones, these limits are proving to be virtually impossible to uphold.<\/p>\n A recent online poll of 18,000 children by ABC children\u2019s program Behind the News found that 56% of respondents<\/a> <\/strong>exceed that two-hour daily limit.<\/p>\n A survey<\/a><\/strong> of 2,620 Australian children aged eight to 16 years had similar results. The study showed that 45% of eight-year-olds to 80% of 16-year-olds exceed the recommended less than two hours per day limit.<\/p>\n We tend to justify children\u2019s \u201coveruse\u201d in terms of the irresponsibility of youth. But a different and very plausible explanation is that the guidelines we use to benchmark how long children should spend on a screen are out of date.<\/p>\n They were actually developed years before tablets and the many devices we use today were even invented.<\/p>\n The screen time guidelines we currently use were developed by The American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> <\/strong>in the 1990s to direct children\u2019s television viewing. In particular, they were a response to kids watching violent content.<\/p>\n While the guidelines may have been relevant at that time, screens have changed a lot in the past 20 years, and children are showing us that an ironclad two hours is no longer workable if you\u2019re growing up circa 2016.<\/p>\n The continued use of these guidelines has left many parents feeling frustrated, guilty or simply unsure about what to think or what to do. Parents try to get their child to stick to the time limits but it\u2019s just not possible when they still have three hours of homework left to do on their laptop.<\/p>\n Sometimes, guidelines, rules, and even laws, are legally binding but so out of date that they no longer provide meaningful support.<\/p>\n For example, it was once a requirement in some parts of the United States<\/a><\/strong> and Canada<\/a><\/strong> for producers to make their margarine different colours to ensure consumers didn\u2019t mix it up with butter. The last place in North America to stop this requirement was Quebec, in 2008.<\/p>\n While interesting and even amusing, many question the relevance of these laws to modern life.<\/p>\n It seems traditional guidelines that advise parents and educators on children\u2019s screen use have followed the same path and just don\u2019t fit with reality of today\u2019s technology driven world.<\/p>\n In a nod to the increasing ubiquity of technology in our world, the American Academy of Paediatrics announced in October last year that it is beginning the process of revising its guidelines<\/a><\/strong> for children and screens. The academy says it has realised that in a world where screen time is becoming simply \u201ctime\u201d, its policies must evolve or become obsolete.<\/p>\n The new formalised guidelines will be published later this year and many expect screen time allowed to be lengthened. It is unrealistic for high school students to only spend two hours per day on screens, particularly when school work obliges them to do that or more.<\/p>\n Time is also not necessarily the best measure to ensure children\u2019s screen use is part of a healthy and balanced approach to life.<\/p>\n All screen use is not the same and it is expected that the new formalised guidelines will also acknowledge that children can use screens for very different purposes.<\/p>\n There\u2019s consumption, there\u2019s creation and there\u2019s communication. There\u2019s a big difference between endless hours of watching YouTube videos of chocolate sweets being unboxed<\/a><\/strong> to videochatting with a parent who is away from home.<\/p>\n A better alternative is to determine children\u2019s screen use based on the quality of the activity and the level of stimulation that children are getting.<\/p>\n There are more than 80,000 apps labelled as educational, but the quality of experience they offer differs. Activities that are creative, that stimulate imagination and that allow meaningful connection with others can and should be given more time than ones that offer little educational value.<\/p>\n We should still keep an eye out for excessive time online. About 15% of the respondents in the Behind the News survey reported they couldn\u2019t go without technology for even one day.<\/p>\n Compulsive or non-stop checking of texts, emails, news feeds, websites or other apps can interfere with anyone\u2019s daily life, work and relationships. If a child is spending most of their day and night on a screen, then that needs reassessment and management.<\/p>\n But the ultimate message is that whatever resource we use to manage children\u2019s screen usage, they ultimately need to learn to manage it themselves.<\/p>\n We must introduce them to the concept of mindful usage. As children get older and accumulate more and more devices, and greater need to use technology, helping them recognise the importance of a balance becomes an important basic life skill.<\/p>\n Joanne Orlando<\/a><\/strong>, Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney University<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a><\/strong>. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Intel\u2019s 10-core gaming processor benchmarks leaked<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nGuidelines obsolete<\/h3>\n
A rethink in the works<\/h3>\n
Quality screen time<\/h3>\n
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