Screen-Time Versus Traditional Play

Screen-Time Versus Traditional Play. This is the first of FIVE controversial topics I, a seasoned OT of 32 years, a Mom of 4 for the last 29 years, and a human who has witnessed big changes in methodologies in raising children, is covering in the next couple of months. 

I consider myself a fairly open-minded individual. Do I generally sway in some areas? Yes. Do I feel like I can listen and research with an ability to adapt my thinking? Sometimes. I mean, I am human. I plan to do my due diligence in this series of blogs and do the research. My hope is that we all can become less judgmental and more empathetic to changes surrounding our culture that highly impact those in the thick of raising our children to become productive, happy adults. 

My first response when discussing screen time is that which you hear many of us middle-aged baby boomers discuss. Screens in general, have caused harm to our children.  However, I need to acknowledge that screens are here to stay. I needed to dive in and objectively find "all the good" that screens provide our households. Here is a list that I came up with.

PROS

-EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES - High-quality apps and programs can turn even the most reluctant learners into curious and motivated individuals for topics that otherwise lose their interest quickly.

-EXPOSURE TO TECHNOLOGY - As noted above, technology is here to stay. Any of us 50 and above, know that to truly figure out anything on our phones or computers we need to hand it over to a younger individual. Eliminating opportunities to interact with technology may put a child behind the ball in some aspects. 

-GLOBAL CONNECTION - I feel like this was recognized like none other than during the pandemic. It was incredible to watch how technology saved many of us by allowing us to interact with one another. I don't know about you, but I was Facetiming friends and family that I hadn't connected with in years across the states during that time. 

-INDEPENDENT LEARNING - Let's face it, we are all busy. Providing your child an opportunity to be able to engage with interesting learning opportunities through the gazillions of means of technology is incredible. I didn't always have the answers to all of the "why" questions my children would drill me with. Technology, on the other hand, does.

 

-ACCESSIBILITY TO SPECIAL NEEDS - I may be a little biased as an OT, but technology has opened up a whole new world of opportunity for children (and adults) with physical, mental, and cognitive difficulties to engage with us, learn from, and gain independence in environments that are not always inviting and conducive to their needs. 

-ENTERTAINMENT & RELAXATION - I would be dishonest if I admitted that I do not turn to technology as a means of droning out the stresses of my days. Can I abuse it? Absolutely. Is it fair to expect our children to engage in active play during every idle moment they have?  Likely not. Can this be abused? Absolutely! Read on.

 CONS 

-REDUCED ATTENTION SPAN - If you haven't watched your own attention span decrease during this technology era, I'm not sure you are being honest with yourself. I no longer have patience for lines, voicemail, advertisements on tv, lengthy emails, or blogs...(ironic since I am writing one). The amount of medication being administered these days to allow us to attend has dramatically increased. Science has proven that fast-moving screens make it harder for us to focus on real-world tasks.

-DELAYED SOCIAL SKILLS - I have to believe the very first picture in this blog depicts this concern. Cooperative, interactive play cannot be replaced with a screen. Sure there are games in which teenagers sit behind a screen for hours talking to their friends. While this is better than no interaction, it cannot beat the importance of learning negotiation, teamwork, and group problem-solving, just to name a few. Sitting next to one another with screens in hands does not replace true communication. Next time you go to a restaurant, look around at it's patrons. It's honestly, so sad. 

-OVERSTIMULATION - Those lights, movement, and constant feedback lead to overwhelm. Again, science has proven this. Heck, I've proven this to myself. If I head to bed exhausted but decide to peek at my phone for a bit...suddenly, an hour later, I've found myself deep into virtual nonsense, wide awake, and likely given myself a rotten start to the next day due to lack of good sleep. 

-PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES - Easy to point this out. Lack of physical movement, poor posture, and eye strain. What good can come of those obvious attributions to screen time? 

-LESS HANDS-ON PLAY OPPORTUNITIES - Young brains need multi-sensory opportunities to use all of their god-given senses to create curiosity, tolerance, learning, and motivation. Traditional play provides crucial means to develop physical, cognitive, mental, social, and sensory development. 

-REDUCED FAMILY INTERACTION - Again, it is easy to take a seat in multiple social settings and observe the decline in meaningful interactions amongst family members. One of my most poignant memories of this was sitting with friends in an open-door beach restaurant in St. Thomas. Chickens were flocking around the beach. A family that included two children, two parents, and two grandparents was front and center at the table closest to the beach. Both children sat the entire meal with headphones on, watching their individual iPads while the family ate their meal. My gut feeling was that the parents should have been having to chase after the kids chasing after the chickens! I'm not even sure the kids even noticed those birds. BROKE MY HEART!

-LESS INDEPENDENT PLAY - You may consider playing peacefully on their electronics to be independent play. While I recognize this is peaceful, is it really independent? I myself, consider watching tv passive entertainment. Is a child able to build upon their imagination while immersing themself in screens? Problem solve: how to build a cool tower out of your kitchen containers? Make a blanket tent and surround themself with their stuffies? Create a rocket out of an appliance box? The list goes on and on of limited opportunities to discover new passions or hobbies that can be built upon with growth and maturity.

-EXPOSURE TO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT - Even with filters, children can encounter harmful content. We may think we are protecting our children by keeping them safe within arms reach or an eye on them at all times. All it takes is one wrong click, and your child can be surrounded by a world of dark topics in the internet world. 

There you have it, my personal pros and cons on the use of technology in our world. Can it be eliminated? No. Can it be reduced and closely monitored? Yes. Do we, as adults, need to guide this? Absolutely YES. Do we need to set good examples? 1000% Yes. 

I have NO doubt that children continue to get smarter and smarter. Technology plays a big part in this. I do wonder, however, at what cost is it to our future generation?

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts regarding this controversial topic! 

Best - Miss Connie

P.S. Looking for AMAZING alternatives to screen play? I've got you covered with our themed developmental play boxes! I'd LOVE for you to check them out HERE!