Screens and Early Childhood
Millennial parents are known for being the last generation to experience a childhood free of the effects of constant technology. We played outside, got bored, and had to remember to rewind our VHS tapes before we returned them to Blockbuster. I remember when dial up internet first “came to our house.” We had to unplug our landline telephone and plug in the cable for the computer into the jack. And then the sound it made. I can still hear that sound…What we didn’t realize at the time, was that technology was going to have sweeping consequences for how our own children would grow up.
Many of us now are seeing a childhood that looks so different from our own. Children are not playing outside as much. So many games that we played as kids are rarely seen. Now I know that trends ebb and flow, but what is replacing a lot of the play we used to see, is screen time. The average American child (age 0-8) is spending about 2.5 hours on screens every day and barely any time outside.
I think we can all agree that these trends are deeply troubling and are going to have lasting consequences.
If you have been following me on social media, you know that I speak to how a lot of what is being offered to our children is on purpose. We live in a world where products are not offered based on what is developmentally best for children, but what will create the most profit, even if it’s harmful. Morals have been thrown to the wayside. We know that many apps are harmful for children. Many children’s tv shows are intended to be addictive. It’s to create a consumer at an early age.
So when you reject these societal norms and prioritize bringing your children outside, and reading books and singing songs you are doing something so powerful and meaningful!
I’m going to tell you a little bit about how I came to my own philosophy of parenting: Being a private lessons music teacher my entire life I had the privilege of teaching many, many students. Some of them I taught their entire lives! I saw them grow up, graduate, go to college and take on careers. The experience has been beautiful, but it also opened my eyes in a lot ways. I saw many things that concerned me. I saw the ways in which screens were hijacking children’s attention. I actually witnessed first hand the personality changes that would happen after a child had gotten their first phone. I had seen it so many times, that I couldn’t merely chalk it up to coincidence.
By the time I became pregnant with my first child I really had come full circle on how I wanted to raise my child(ren). I knew that I did not want them to lose their chance to be brilliantly creative, musical, curious, connected and in tune with themselves. All the things I was witnessing being diminished.
The misuse of screens is truly doing a disservice to our young children. It is literally re-wiring their brains. I understand that some parents find themselves in less than stellar circumstances, where their only saving grace is having their child use a screen. Perhaps this single parent works from home and needs to have a quiet household to maintain their job and keep a roof over themselves. To these parents, this message is not for you. You are doing the best you can with the circumstances you are given.
But to the parents who have the option to replace screen time, I wanted to give some helpful ways to start eliminating high screen usage, so that way children have ample time to be bored and to find the urge to get creative.
Create certain days/times where screen time is allowed. A perfect example is a once a week movie night with the family. Pick a schedule and stick to it, even when it’s tempting to throw a show on for peace of mind.
Introduce audio stories as a replacement for screen time.
Eliminate interactive app games for young children as these are the most harmful in the development of the brain.
Read books, as many as you can!
Play clapping games and sing songs!
Encourage dancing + playing music, drawing/painting, playing outside.
Encourage the boredom feeling. Boredom is not something bad - it’s the period right before the magic happens.
Use moments of waiting times, such as at restaurants and waiting on line as an opportunity to connect. Play a clapping game or draw a picture. When children are constantly pacified and never learn to wait, what are we truly teaching them?
Know that children will adjust to lowering screen time. It will take a few weeks of consistency and they will adjust and it won’t be such a battle.
All of these suggestions are merely that - I know everyone has their own battles and struggles and what works for some, might not work for all. I truly believe in parents’ love and that it will be what changes the next generation. I think we are going to see a huge shift in the coming years. So many parents are doing beautiful things and rejecting the status quo! Keep it up! We need our children to grow up and have brains that are wired for creativity, focus and not addicted to dopamine. And a musical childhood is the best start, because of how music wires the brain! Make music and let them play!