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It’s becoming “the drug of the 21st century.”
That’s how Robert Kesten, the executive director of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), describes the amount of time children and adults spend glued to the screen – whether it’s a TV, computer, video game, or car DVD player.
“The competition for eyeballs and people’s time is more fierce than ever before,” reports Kesten.
According to CSTA, the average child watches 1,890 minutes of TV a week. That’s 4.5 hours per day. Now, for the clincher… the center reports parents spend only 91 minutes in meaningful conversation with their children each week. The gap between time spent watching and talking is even bigger if you consider other kinds of screen-time, including “TV-like” programming such as YouTube.
CSTA is best known for sponsoring Turnoff Week, traditionally the last full week each April, during which time people are encouraged to turn off their screens. The event started as TV Turnoff Week in 1994 and evolved into encompassing all screens. “We look at the week as a time to celebrate all the things you can do without screens,” shares Kesten, who encourages people to play outside, pursue a hobby, play games, do an art project, cook, garden, or participate in other non-screen activities. He also emphasizes the importance of family time.
CSTA’s year round mission includes educating people about the need to limit screen-time and promoting a more active lifestyle. “The center itself has a goal of encouraging people to master technology without letting the technology master them. We encourage people to spend more time with real people in real places in real time and to take advantage of all that life has to offer rather than living vicariously,” Kesten explains. “Kids need to be outside. They need to feel the wind. They need to feel the sun. They need to get dirt under their fingernails.”
In a policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents “limit children’s total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than one to two hours of quality programming per day. The statement continues to suggest that parents “discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage more interactive activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together." An AAP spokesperson says the guidelines apply to all screens.
“By leaving children in a sedentary position with no human interaction, you’re actually impinging their growth and development,” says Kesten. When it comes to the youngest children, he reports that their brains can’t absorb what they see on screen.
For children old enough to watch, the AAP urges parents to be aware of what their children are watching and to look for programs with educational content, positive values, and ones that promote things like reading, hobbies, and playing outside. AAP cautions that young children are particularly susceptible to commercials, because they do not know the difference between programs and commercials.
CSTA lists a number of findings that report ties between the amount of screen-time exposure and children’s health and development when it comes to obesity, attention deficit issues, academic achievement, and more.
Now, for some positive news. Kesten finds that more and more people are recognizing the need to limit screen-time. “We’re starting to get response from governmental officials, teachers, healthcare professionals, and others interested in healthier lifestyles, functional families, and vibrant communities – demonstrating to us that people are starting to become aware this is a serious issue.”
Kesten admits that in the past, his own two children used to watch more television. He began setting more limits seven years ago, when his kids were still in elementary school, and credits his family’s participation in Turnoff Week as his inspiration. Kesten’s passion for the issue led him to CSTA.
CSTA’s website offers suggestions for off-screen activities such as family dinner and game nights and gives families the opportunity to share their ideas in a blog.
Kesten emphasizes that time away from the screen does not need to be about “being productive,” and offers this reminder. “There would be no Mozart if he wasn’t allowed to day dream. There would be no Picasso if he wasn’t allowed to use his imagination.”
To learn more about the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness, go to screentime.org. You can also read more about this issue at aap.org.
Please visit us at ModernBabiesAndChildren.com and share your thoughts on reducing screen-time. We will have a brief questionnaire and will post the results.
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TV Screen-time Stats
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· Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,890 (4.5 hours per day, not including computer, video, or other electronics)
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· Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 91 (13 minutes per day, spouses spend even less time talking to each other).
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· Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
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· Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
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· Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1642.5 hours
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· Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70
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· Percentage of children ages 6-17 who have TV's in their bedrooms: 65
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· Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66
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Source: Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness
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