I posted this on my Facebook profile on July 6th, and it generated a lot of great feedback. I want to include it here in my blog as I feel it’s an important conversation to be having.
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(I posted this link along with this: http://drdunckley.com/2015/11/11/screentime-is-making-kids-moody-crazy-and-lazy/)
I’m posting this about my experiences – so please – any friends of mine who have kids on screens – don’t take this personally. Because I know every person is different – and this post is about my experiences and my daughter.
We have come to realize over a period of time monitoring, that our daughter simply CANNOT handle electronics right now. This wasn’t always the case either, but at the age she is at and the growing going on, this is what we’ve observed.
For us, this rings so true: (excerpt from the this link)
5. Screen time overloads the sensory system, fractures attention, and depletes mental reserves. Experts say that what’s often behind explosive and aggressive behavior is poor focus. When attention suffers, so does the ability to process one’s internal and external environment, so little demands become big ones. By depleting mental energy with high visual and cognitive input, screen time contributes to low reserves. One way to temporarily “boost” depleted reserves is to become angry, so meltdowns actually become a coping mechanism.
Just 30 minutes of game time on the tablet, can turn our happy-go-lucky girl into an overwhelmed, frustrated and angry 9 year old.
And many of you will likely debate whether or not it can be the fault of electronics. But let me reassure you, we have observed and tested this SEVERAL times over the past few months. Sometimes it can be extremely obvious (like this morning), and other times we see moody and frustrated behavior appear over a number of days.
So awhile ago we decided to cut back on electronic use almost 100%. Until she gets to an age where she can handle the extra stimulation I guess, this is where we are at. As a parent, I feel terrible about having to “take away” these “fun things” from her. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s for HER health and well-being.
When she doesn’t have electronics (like AT ALL for several days, like ZERO!!) – she’s a WONDERFUL and AMAZING child! She has a great grasp on controlling her emotions, she’s helpful around the house, she’s super creative and loves going outdoors.
So if she’s doing so well OFF of any electronics, why the heck should we feel like ever reintroducing them right now???
Regardless.. we will try 30 minutes here and there and once in awhile it’s fine (she doesn’t always turn into a monster lol).. but for the most part I think we will be going electronic-free.
I would be interested to hear of anyone else going through something similar. Or if you have any other links towards the research of electronics/screen time regarding kids, I would be interested.