How Parents Can Manage Their Children's Screen Time

Response to TEDTalk: Abducted by Technology: Raising the Smartphone Generation by April Whiting (March )

In this TEDTalk, April Whiting makes the point that this is the first generation in history that has been compelled to deal with the proliferation of modern technologies, most especially “screens” such as Internet-enabled Smartphones. This unique position in human history also means that there are no corresponding counterparts from which modern parents can draw guidance and inspiration concerning how best to manage the multiple challenges that smartphones bring into the family home. According to Whiting’s account, she realized there was a problem when she was tucking one of her children into bed and looked into her eyes and realized that was the first time that day she had made eye contact due to their mutual preoccupation with their respective screens. This event catalyzed her determination to make a change for the good of her children as well as her own psyche.

Yet another noteworthy point made by Whiting is that the 21st century no longer features the “stopping cues” that once signaled people to stop doing one thing and move on to another. For example, once upon a time, people would drink a cup of coffee and read their newspapers and then it was time to do something else. Similarly, an episode of a popular television series would end one night, forcing viewers to wait an entire week for the next episode. While some cavepeople may still live like this, the vast majority of Americans have instant access to anything they want to watch, anytime, anyplace.

It is therefore not surprising that increasing numbers of people of all walks of life are literally being abducted by technology, at least as far as their minds are concerned. It is also not surprising that given the powerful stimulus generated by dopamine that growing legions of older consumers and young people are finding themselves over-stimulated, hypervigilant and anxious about what comes next. In this regard, Whiting emphasizes that achieving a healthy balance between technology usage and mental health among children is difficult for a wide range of reasons.

Furthermore, the dangers of excessive or even moderate screen-time for young people are well documented, and the research to date confirms that toddlers that spend just one hour a day with screens suffer from a number of developmental problems, including the formation of white brain matter that controls vitally important cognitive functions. Likewise, as noted above, the dopamine that is released when humans interact with screens is a powerful drug and mimics the euphoric effects of cocaine on the brain. In other words, humans are hard-wired to enjoy technology, even if it is harmful to them.

Indeed, far too many parents succumb to the siren calls of their own screens to the detriment of family relationships and Whiting also makes the point that it is especially problematic convincing children to put their screens down when their own parents fail to follow this advice. In sum, the technological genie has been set free of its age-old bottle and there is no putting it back again. This is not to say, of course, that all technologies are harmful to children – and their parents – but it is to say that Whiting makes good sense when she tells parents they need to approach this problem head-on, but in a thoughtful, consistent and mutually agreed upon manner.

In addition, Whiting has several other suggestions that parents might find useful in helping their children achieve a healthier balance with their screens. Some of the more notable recommendations included using a 2-week “wean time” period wherein screen time for children is reducing each day until the magic zero hour is reached, at which point all devices are surrendered to parental control for the next 6 months. An important point made by Whiting for this initial step is that like stopping smoking or shooting heroin, going “cold turkey” is a tough road to hoe for anyone but most particularly young people whose entire lives have been invested in their screens.

To her credit, Whiting concedes that the first 2 days after stopping cold turkey with her three children were hell, but she goes on to explain that around day 3, things began to change. Her children discovered the joys of a backyard, and her home was filled with the sounds of young ones growing up and thriving. Art kits and Legos cluttered her dining room table, and this family had achieved new heights in familial bliss. Other parents, however, may experience far more difficulties in convincing their children, especially willful older teens, that they know what is best for them when it comes to their precious smartphones, even if their parents managed to secure their signatures on a “contract” that spelled out the consequences of smartphone abuse.