CASERMA EDERLE, Italy -- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released updated guidelines for children's media use.
These new guidelines take into account "new" media like interactive apps and touch screens, and are a bit easier to manage realistically than the old ones. The good news continues with newly developed tools that help families create a media plan and take an overall look at what activities are filling our children's days. As with the old guidelines, however, there are some things to be aware of in order to make the suggestions work for your family.
As a quick review (or reminder), the old guidelines were both strict and broad: They recommended that kids under two years of age have no contact with any kind of screen and that older children limit screen time to one-to-two hours per day. AAP based these guidelines on research that seemed to suggest that young children don't learn much, if anything, from screens, and that all kids benefit most from "real world" 3D interactions with the objects and people around them. There is truth to those assertions, but the guidelines left precious little room for flexibility.
The suggested limitations became more unrealistic with each passing year -- and generated more and more questions. What about video chatting with faraway family members? Does that count as screen time? If so, is it bad for my baby? How about educational interactive apps? Or games that engage children but sneak all sorts of educational content in them? What if we watch a movie together as a family -- does that count towards the daily limit?
The new guidelines fit the media landscape of 2016 a bit better and leave some room for flexibility and for creating a relationship with media that's right for your family. AAP still recommends no screen time for kids younger than 18 months; however, they make an important exception for video chatting with loved ones. They highlight the idea of "joint media engagement" (a.k.a, using media together with your children) and the importance of content (actual media products your children use). There is a recommended time limit for preschoolers, and guidelines stress that it's important to set your own family's limit for older children.
More than paying attention to the amount of time spent with screens, the most helpful guidance comes in the recommendations for making sure media use is balanced with other experiences and that a child's day is well-rounded.
Try to avoid having devices in the bedroom and make the hour before bedtime screen free to avoid the potential for sleep disturbances. Make sure children get enough physical activity, sleep, and engage in plenty of non-screen activities. Spend time with your children, doing screen activities (family movie night or Wii competition!) and non-screen activities. Try to avoid background TV (having the TV on all the time, even if no one is watching), and turn it off for important events like homework or mealtimes. Create screen "okay" times and places and screen "not-okay" times (for example, during meals or right before bedtime) and places (for example, in the bedroom).
And for children of all ages: Talk to them about what's going on in whatever media they're using. Ask what they've learned, how they feel about it and so on. Also, choose wisely: There's a lot out there (including thousands of apps labeled "educational"), but not all media products and media experiences are created equal. Make sure using media counts for something, even if it is the occasional need to just relax, unwind and watch something funny. Do try to limit violence, advertising and any other messages that conflict with your family's values.
The bottom line is, creating a healthy media diet is an essential part of being a parent in the 21st century. The AAP's new guidelines can be a helpful starting point: Consider the overall message, then bend and flex the guidelines to fit your family's needs.
See the full AAP guidelines and media use toolkit here: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx
New AAP guidelines:
0-18 months: No screens except for video chatting
18 -- 24 months: If interested in introducing screens, choose well-designed educational interactive media for child and adult caregiver to use together
2 -- 5 years: Limit to 1 hour per day of high quality media
5 -- 18 years: No time limit specified (with certain considerations)
VanderBorght is the Family Advocacy Program Parent-Child Educator. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and is an expert in child development and parenting. She has a particular specialty in how media and technology affect children's learning and development. And she's also a mom. Feel free to contact her directly with questions, concerns or comments at: mieke.a.vanderborght.ctr@mail.mil or DSN 634-6264.
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