Screen time… how much is too much?

Screen time is the time you or your child spends watching TV, using a computer or iPad, playing video games, and using a mobile phone. There is strong research to support the importance of two way communication. Screen time is one way - stimulation coming from the screen to you or your child. Two way communication, that back and forth exchange that occurs in conversation or in play, is incredibly important for developing language, cognition, emotional regulation and for developing secure attachment between parent and child. Language is learned from modelling and participating in conversation, so the more practice a child has in conversing with others, the stronger their language skills will be.

Taking away screen time or reducing screen time provides more opportunities for back and forth/two way communication, pretend play, role play, creative play and imagination. What takes it’s place when screen time is reduced or limited? More play, more conversation, and more physical movement as well. Two way communication not only is critical for language to develop, it also impacts on cognitive development and emotional development. Sitting in front of a screen reduces your physical activity, which can have impacts on a child’s gross and fine motor development. It has also been shown to impact on the quality of their sleep.

In 2007, Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, implemented a cap on screen time when his daughter started developing an unhealthy attachment to a video game. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple until his death in 2012, when asked in a 2011 New York Times interview if his kids loved the newly released iPad, responded “They haven’t used it, we limit how much technology our kids use at home.” Sean Parker, one of the founders of Facebook, observed that its addictive qualities “exploit a vulnerability in human psychology … God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.” Studies have linked use of electronic devices for five or more hours a day to higher rates of depression, loneliness, suicide and difficulty sleeping.

Screen time is unavoidable in our day and age, and a little bit here and there is not going to cause issues for your child’s development. As with many things, moderation is key. Screen time in moderation and balanced out with the above aspects considered is what’s important here. If you are interested in the formal recommendations around screen time, the World Health Organisation released recommendations in 2019, which can be found here.