Kids and Screen Time: Real-World Boon or Rotting Brains ...

My son Benjamin is seven years old. He loves the computer, the television, my smart phone, video games?pretty much anything with a screen. He watched his share of PBS Sprout as a toddler. He loves to play Tiny Wings and Angry Birds on my phone. Is screen time rotting his brain? It?s a question I ask myself regularly.

When Benjamin was three, I remember conversations with friends about how much TV we should let our kids watch, when to introduce them to the computer, and what kinds of video games are appropriate (if any). We touted ?no TV during the week? and ?1/2 hour of screen time a day total? as if we were protecting our kids from something evil. I felt guilty for every moment Benjamin spent in front of a screen, like I was somehow failing as a parent. When it came to computer time, in particular, I really struggled.

I heard things like:

• What?s the rush? They?ll get plenty of computer time when they start school.
• Fresh air and exercise is so much more important.
• Computers rot kids? brains. I?m going to avoid it as long as possible.

In contrast, I heard:

• This is the digital age.
• I?m preparing him for the 21^st century.
• He?ll be behind if he doesn?t know how to use a mouse in preschool.

Both arguments made perfect sense to me. I could have spent hours researching the effects of computer use on children?s brains, and some of my friends did, but I have more of a listen to your gut/common sense kind of parental approach. Benjamin spends the majority of his free time running around playing ball (any ball will do). He gets plenty of exercise, healthy food, and rest. I reasoned maybe a little computer time won?t hurt. In fact, it may even help him. So, around age 5, we included the computer as part of his screen time allowance.

So what does he do on the computer?

• He checks scores, player stats and other sports news online. Reading is reading, and there?s a heck of a lot of math in there too!
• He plays math games and solves puzzles at Coolmath.com.
• He practices spelling words at Wordle.net and Spellcity.com.
• He explores Math and Language Arts activities in CompassLearning Odyssey.
• He researches school projects on Babe Ruth, and the planets.
• He investigates burning questions like ?how far away is the moon?? and ?where does rain come from??
• In addition, he knows how to use a mouse, access the internet, create a Word doc, Skype his Uncle in Sweden, and much more.

For Benjamin, the computer is highly motivating, has improved his critical thinking and problem solving abilities, and helped him to internalize learning.

Technology is not going away. I don?t think it should take the place of fresh air, exercise, and real social interaction, but it?s powerful and motivating and will help our kids keep up with the 21^st century and beyond.

Interesting facts:

I?ve decided to stop feeling guilty about exposing Benjamin to screen time, and instead feel proud of his ability at such a young age to navigate the computer, Wii, DVD player, TV, and smart phone with ease.

Has the question of screen time allowance come up in your parenting or in your classrooms? How have you dealt with it? What results have you seen? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Source: http://navigator.compasslearning.com/learning/kids-and-screen-time-real-world-boon-or-rotting-brains/

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