Susanne Tanski, MD, MPH, discusses ways to manage screen time and media use for kids.
Do devices interfere with childhood health and wellness?
- Screens are designed to suck us in and keep us there—and that’s an important thing for us to overcome.
- Unbalanced screen time can crowd out important things like family time, school work, reading, and playing outside.
- It’s important that we balance technology so that we can make time for play, sleep, eating, and spending time with friends and family.
How can parents manage device use?
- Parents should help establish healthy habits around screen time and media use.
- Balance is crucial: create screen-free times and screen-free zones.
- Encourage non-screen ways to cope with boredom and downtime.
Finding balance
- Choose age-appropriate content and use parental controls when available.
- Discuss media content with children, analyzing its purpose and effects.
- Teach older children about algorithms and motivations behind content creation.
- Talk about how social media and screen time affect emotions and mental health.
- Help children understand the influence of online content on beliefs and behaviors.
Resources
Websites
- What Social Media Does to Your Child and What You Can Do About It (Fort Health)
- ScreenSanity
- Screen Time and Technology (Child Mind Institute)
Books
- Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
Movies
Social Dilemma
Screenager
Podcasts
Interview with Dr. Haidt (“Good Inside” with Dr. Becky)
ScreenStrong Families podcast (Apple podcasts)
