Re:Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent
by fsloth on Thursday September 11, 2014 @08:40AM
(#8302203)
Having two kids under 10, my observations are identical to yours. We have experimented with strict limits to screentime and less strict. Each time we have tried the less strict approach the behaviour of our kids has changed for the worse. At one point we noticed the only thing our son would do was wait for the daily screentime - he was disinterested in all other activities - at which point we reduced the allowed time considerably. We are now at 1 hour per day, max, and it seems to be ok. Small children seem to be drawn to the games like moths to a flame. The problem is not that they would be damaged by the gaming itself. Rather the problem is how it affects their psychology when not playing on an ipad.
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Interesting. I tried a different approach: no limits, except for normal daytime activities (e.g. normal sleep time). The result was what I wished for: eventually things stabilized. Yes, we went through several 2-3 day binges, when our kid would be completely immersed, but eventually she always got bored and seeked other activities (especially social & involving movement). After those extended screentime periods, devices would always get cast aside and used sparingly. So, it seems that at least some kids at some ages are able to maintain a reasonable balance all by themselves.
I don't know if this can hold (she's almost 6 now), but so far I'm very happy with the results.
I'm glad that strategy worked out for you. We might try it again at some point. But, evidence so far has shown that our children do not get of bored of playing on the IPad. At all. We could reduce the number of games available on the device, that might help. Also, the fact that the device has Netflix might be a part of the allure - when one digital activity becomes boring, they switch to another.
Thank you for you comment, I realize perhaps the device itself is not the problem but the number of available content.
Oh, I am not trying to imply that the same approach will work for everyone, in fact I suspect it will stop working for us once our child grows older. But I wanted to provide an interesting datapoint.