Screen Time and Learning: How Much Is Too Much?

It is 2023. Technology is everywhere. It is even a massive part of children’s lives that it hasn’t been before now. Of course, we have had tablets and TV since the better part of the early 2000s, but now it is different. Learning and development come with a hefty digital price tag: screen time. Most classrooms, especially due to the pandemic, have changed to more digital-centric than they were say 5 years ago.

How does this affect your child and why am I bringing it up? Well, as the saying goes, “all good things in moderation”. Technology isn’t going anywhere and that is perfectly fine with me. However, as parents, we must learn how to be moderators for our children. How much screen time and technology in general is too much?

In this article, we will cover what technology and screen time looks like currently, how we can help moderate our children, and why we should be doing it regularly.

There is a ton of information in this article that pertains to technology and children and, as always tons of facts and stats. If that is not in your wheelhouse, no worries. Please use the “Jump to Sections” links below to see what interests you.

Jump to Sections:

What Does Screen Time Look Like?
Pros and Cons of Screen Time
The Impact of Screen Time on Development
Setting Limits for Your Children
Our Take
Sources and Further Reading

What Does Screen Time Look Like?

In recent years, technological advancements have completely shifted how children learn and spend their time. This can be in the form of videos, video games, interactive learning, or learning apps on a phone or tablet.

Parents are typically overworked at their jobs, so if you have a two-income family, your child is likely to have more screen time. If you are a single parent, this also increases that likelihood.

It doesn’t stop there though. Schooling environments, due mostly to the pandemic, but also due to tech, have shifted to largely incorporate digital learning. If your child attends a school that is using this and then comes homes and continues to use it, this can be pretty harmful. Your child may also be attending school online at home which can be even worse (I know this has pretty much gone away, but it is still relevant for some).

This is not a parent blame session. Let me get that out right now. I am a parent. Sticking my child in front of the TV to watch Bluey or whatever else is on, is so much easier than entertaining her myself. That time she is looking at the TV also gives me time or my wife time to get some things done around the house. So, look, I get it.

With that being said, it is still in your child’s best interest to set some boundaries when it comes to screen time. We will get into that in a little bit.

Pros and Cons of Screen Time

As with everything, there are two sides to the coin. While there are some amazing reasons to utilize digital learning, there can be drawbacks if used excessively.

Pros of Screen Time

Interactive and Engaging Learning Experience

With the advancement of technology, learning is now more engaging and interactive than it ever has been. Cool videos, colorful animations, and even user-input puzzles or problems. These experiences are way more likely to keep younger children engaged and focused on learning. They may not even realize that it is “school”.^[1]

Access to Digital Libraries, Apps, and Classrooms

With the number of educational databases that have been created in the past 10 years, like Udemy, there are so many possibilities and avenues to learn things. Phone Apps or even online digital libraries, which are often free, now have great resources for kids. Of course, there are always paid options or add-ons if you like those sorts of things.

Visual Learning and Creative Expression

Not every child learns verbally. I did not. A lot of children tend to gravitate toward visual learning instead of auditory. Is this because auditory does not get the point across? No, not really. It is simply because it can be boring. This makes it hard to maintain an audience, especially when that audience is younger than 10 years old.

If you had a choice between listening to a teacher explain how to multiply and divide or having that same topic in an interactive computer application, which would you choose? Some might say the teacher and that is fine. I doubt that your child would.

Personalized Learning Experience

Personalized learning experiences help children remain focused by giving them the types of learning environments that they need. If a child responds better to a certain type of learning style, color scheme, or animals instead of people, applications can change to fit that. ^[1]

Big companies have been doing this for years when it comes to selling to adults or even children. Finally, people have realized this works for learning too. This is a prime example that technological advancement can be really good.

Enhances Digital Literacy

As stated before, it is 2023. We live in a completely digital world. With that comes a need to be digitally literate. I don’t mean Microsoft office either. I am sorry, but that is expected nowadays. Knowing how to use all the functions of a phone, tablet, or computer, and how to utilize technology for business and social interactions is necessary.

Since it is everywhere, people and employers expect you to know how to use it well. By raising children to be digitally literate we are helping them in their future endeavors. They can be so much more educated on it than we are.

If you were born before the 90s, there has probably been a huge learning curve for you. “90s babies” grew up with technology as it grew which made things a little easier. Now children have so much technology in front of them at birth, they have a massive advantage in learning and comprehending it in a way that we may never be able to due to the learning curve. The same issues exist with learning a new language or math. It is so much easier the earlier you begin implementing it.

Cons of Screen Time

Can Cause Distraction and Lack of Attention

Some children may not do well with digital technology due to distractions. Just as some children learn well in a visual environment, some children may not. With all of the colors, sounds, moving objects, and interactive points, some children may find themselves lacking concentration and attention. This can play negatively into development since they are not focused on the source material. This is something you and your teacher will have to discuss to find better methods of learning.^[1]

Some children have this issue with too much time on digital learning. Their concentration is great, but once they hit their personal “time threshold” they begin to lose that concentration. This shows us that they can still greatly benefit from screen time learning, but just need a little moderation on time spent doing it.

May Lead to Eye Strain and Headaches

Excessive time using phones, laptops, or tablets, can cause severe eye strain. This leads to headaches rather quickly.^[1] Even as adults we struggle with this, so just imagine a child. It can go without being said, that headaches make it pretty difficult to learn. Keeping a focus on your child’s behavior and how they are feeling can help you set the best time restrictions for them.

Absence of Physical Exercise

Not moving in a chair due to using a laptop means that you are not getting any physical exercise. This isn’t necessarily detrimental, but it can become harmful rather quickly.

A lack of physical exercise is directly related to increased chances of diabetes, obesity, and even heart disease. This goes back to moderation. Children need to learn. Children also need to be active children. When breaks are set from screen time, try to get them engaged in physical activity. Set it outside if you can and if the weather permits. We can always use some fresh air after being cooped up inside for too long.

Lack of Social Skills and Emotional Intelligence

Pediatric Psychologists have found that children who spend most of their learning at home or even at a school that is primarily using digital learning are not developing as they should. They mean this in the realms of social and emotional growth. When they spend less time interacting with other children and adults, they tend to have fewer social skills. Completely makes sense when you think about it. Skills we do not use are ones we are typically not very good at.

Their research also made it a point to say that this does not mean digital learning is bad. It just means that we need to be aware of this social and emotional decline and change course. Set more times for social interactions and play times.

Related Article: Sensorimotor Development in Children

The Impact of Screen Time on Development

For all of the reasons and then some, screen time is both beneficial and detrimental to child development. It seems like an oxymoron that it can be both extremes, but back to the “all things in moderation” statement.

While screen time increases learning potential in children, it also neglects their need for social interaction, cognitive development, and engagement of sensorimotor functions. It may be creating an aptitude for digital literacy, but it may be depriving children of things they need, like being children.

Sadly, this can be brought back to parents and teachers. We, as adults, are probably becoming dependent on technology to teach our children. This causes us to (1) not know how to teach our children and/or (2) have filled that time with something else (like more work) that we now have less time to teach our children.

The impacts are both positive and negative at the end of the day. Screen time can be our greatest ally in the course of giving our children the best possible learning experience. It can also be the worst enemy when it comes to giving them a whole-rounded experience that includes mental, social, emotional, and even motor skills.

It is up to us to set these boundaries and limits for our children.

Setting Limits for Your Children

Here are some useful and easy-to-implement steps you can take to help your child with screen time overload. This is not an all-encompassing list, so if something works for you continue to do it.

Establish Screen-Free Zones

Setting a rule that there is to be no screen time in their bedrooms or mealtimes can help cut back on its usage. This also allows you to keep an eye on how much they are using it.

Use Parental Controls

Most phones, tablets, computers, and televisions, come with parental controls. These controls can help you set limits on screen time, types of content they can watch/use, and even the times of day they can use it.

Here are guides from the manufacturers on how to properly set up parental controls:

Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304

Android: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9346420?hl=en

Encourage Alternate Activities

When they are in a no-screen time zone or it is during a time when you do not want them using it, come up with fun activities that do not require it. This can be board games, reading, playing outside, or anything else they enjoy doing. Children sometimes just need that push in the right direction. See the article below for 10 great ideas you can try.

Screen time can be beneficial as seen here. A young boy is learning about space through a tablet.

Explain “The Why” to Your Child

Sometimes we do not give children enough credit when it comes to understanding complex ideas. Sit your child down and explain why they can not use their tablet all day, every day. Go into how they are beneficial, but also how they can cause headaches and things of that nature. List all the other things they can do in the meantime (as we talked about above)

Children may understand and move on. They may not question you at all, but we have to give them that chance.

Our Take

We need to adapt. That part is clear. Technology is not going anywhere and with it, screen time is not disappearing for our children. This can be a great thing, but as we discussed it can also be pretty bad if left unmonitored.

Your children having a personalized and engaging learning experience is pretty amazing. It is also a great thing that companies have made a lot of their material so accessible through apps and the internet. I am all for taking advantage of that.

You and your teacher should know your child the best when it comes to learning and how they are doing. Be open about it and make sure you change course as needed. Get the most out of screen time and technology, but also make sure that your child’s development is well-rounded.

Be Involved

The point of DADVERSE is to get fathers excited about being involved in their children’s lives. This is a perfect opportunity for you to do that. When you set those boundaries and explain to your children the why, yes, they may fight you on it. Children can be stubborn. They may also love you more for it.

When you do set those boundaries and parental controls, offer alternate activities that YOU can participate in. Spend that little extra time with your kids. I understand that not all of us have a schedule for work that allows it, but if you do take advantage of it. Tons of fathers would love to spend more time with their children and they can’t for whatever reason.

Sources

“Benefits of Educational Video Games” by R. D. Hays, Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 2012. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292282600_Benefits_of_Educational_Video_Games

“The Benefits of Online Learning” by C. K. Thompson, Journal of Information Technology Education, 2013. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303459594_The_Benefits_of_Online_Learning

“Digital Literacy in the Workplace” by J. B. St. Clair, Business Information Review, 2016. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0266382116632436

“Digital Eye Strain: A Review of the Research” by J. Heiting, All About Vision, 2020. https://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/irritated.htm

“The Impact of Social Media Use on Social Skills” by C. R. Coyne et al., Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6202929/

“Screen Time and Cognitive Development in Infants and Toddlers” by R. G. Barr et al., Pediatrics, 2019. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/4/e20190185