Science's take on screentime

I'm afraid what I'm about to post is going to make some people uncomfortable. I actually got into a pretty bad fight with my (former?) cousin last year about this issue.  I say former because we are no longer on speaking terms.

Let me start by emphasizing that what I post, I post because I care deeply about child cognitive and physical development. I can't yet imagine how challenging it really is to be a parent. I've never been one. I've only ever been a babysitter. I'm not a mom. I'm not a caretaker. I'm just a person who is interested in gathering the best information possible to try to give my future, currently non-existent, children the best possible shot at the best possible life.

Okay, so, disclaimer out of the way.

My education background is in English and linguistics. I have two master's degrees: one in English and one in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Applied Linguistics).  That being said, you can probably gather that I am very, very interested in language and language development.

So, time to drop the bomb. Get ready to be offended.

According to research, real actual science, children under 2 years old should have 0 minutes of screen time a day. 0. None. No screens. No TV. No video games. None.

Based on the facial expression, this baby is probably watching CSPAN.

Screen time has been shown to delay language development, social skills, and, kids who have screen time are more likely to be obese.

Here is a really great video summing it up from What to expect.

The fact is, babies don't learn from recordings or TVs. They just don't. Babies learn from interacting with the real world. They learn from talking with other people or just being talked to. They learn from touching and moving and playing. They learn from manipulating objects and discovering what happens when they push this or chew that.

TV, though captivating for us all, is not something babies can actually interact with.  There is no action and reaction. There is only noise and light. It is a one way street. The time spent staring at the TV would be much better spent with baby playing with noisy, light up toys because, even though it is again just noise and light, the baby has some control of the toy and is learning how they can influence their environment. I press this, this happens. I roll that, that happens. Fine motor skills are being developed. The movement is exercise.

The best of all is for babies to get human interaction as much as possible. Playing and singing and reading and snuggling all strengthen social bonds and help children to develop cognitive skills, social skills, and language.

Now, I understand that sometimes parents need a break and sometimes the only thing that will give mom that 15 mins she needs to take a shower is the TV. I would like to challenge you, and future self, to make screen the absolutely last resort if nothing else will work.  TV and screens should not be the go to and should not be a regular part of life.

Taking this a step further, more research indicates that children between 2 and 5 should have less than 30 mins of screen time a WEEK.  That's 5 mins a day.

So under 2 years old the goal is NONE. From 2 - 5 the goal is less than 30 mins a week.

This is what is best for the mental and physical development of the child.

Interested in why? I can give you some answers myself.

Human beings start to learn language in the womb. (Here's a study with more about that.) When a baby is born, they show preference for the language of their mother from the start.  If two people are speaking two different languages, and one if the language of the mother, the baby will react more strongly to the language of its mother.

HOWEVER, babies don't show any preference for the language content of a TV. They will look with equal attention no matter what is being shown. They aren't actually learning from the experience. It might as well be white noise as far as they are concerned.

The infant years are some of the most important for brain development. Babies should be constantly engaged with their environment and experiencing positive reinforcement and interaction with people. You can't do it over. You get that one shot.

If you are wasting this precious learning time by having a child spend a lot of time not engaging, not interacting, just staring at a screen, the child can (and statistically speaking does) fall behind.

Another important factor is the type of activity the screen time encourages. Sedentary. Babies watching TV or playing with iPads are usually sitting and staring. This article talks more about that.  Children should be moving and interacting constantly. Sitting and staring is not the best use of their time. They are exploring their bodies, shaping themselves, developing muscle strength, coordination, and motor skills. Babies have so much to learn and to do, sitting in front of a screen is just a waste.

This includes '2nd hand screen time'.  Having the screen on with the baby in the room ALSO negatively impacts the baby. Babies who are playing in the same room as a TV look at the TV at least 3x a minute. They are being distracted from their interactive, engaging play. One interesting suggestion I read said that maybe parents could talk to the kids about the TV while it is on. If you REALLY have to watch the big game or something and you are "stuck with" baby duties you can watch it if you are continuously talking with the baby at the same time.  I think that would be difficult but, then again, I've sat next to people at movie theatres who, much to my misfortune, could do it professionally.

Now, the be fair and balance, there are some studies that indicate that maybe the difference between the cognitive and physical development of babies who get screen time and those who don't has more to do with the general life style and education background of the parents than the actual screens. I've misplaced the article (I read it yesterday). It basically said that parents who let their children watch a lot of TV tend to come from poorer and less educated homes in general. They read to their kids less. They interact with their kids less in general. This is also a contributing factor to slower development. So, is it the actual TV that is the problem or is the TV just one part of a bigger picture of how low income children are being disadvantaged from the start? This one just one study done. On the whole, however, there are loads and loads of studies cautioning parents against screen time for babies.

To sum up, it is better to let your baby splash in a mud puddle than it is to let them watch TV. We live in a world of screens and it might just be impossible to actually have 0 screen time, but it is a goal worth setting and if we err on the side of caution and less screen time, it is better for the mental, emotional, social, and physical development of the baby.

If you made it this far into this blog and you feel like I'm a big mouth jerk who doesn't know how hard you have it and you think I'll change my mind when I have my own kids, that's fine. You can think it. I have no idea if I'll make the best choices for my children when my time comes.

BUT, this is what experts say. This is what science says. I make bad choices for me all the time. I spend way too much time online and I'm pretty lazy over all. I hope that when I'm a mother I am able to become a better person for my babies and make the best choices for them, even if it means missing some TV and falling behind on my Facebook feed.

Once again, comments are welcomed. Opinions, science, anecdotes. Post them here. I'm also searching for more input so that, when I have my children, I make well rounded, informed decisions.