To think current concerns over screen time is bordering hysteria

@TinyHousemouse You don't need loads of family support and money for activities and huge gardens to not give your child a screen though. And we're not really talking about the occasional use of screens which is not damaging, or allowing more TV when sick or disabled, we are talking about reliance on and overuse of them in society as a whole.
My point was that throughout human history and in many parts of the world people haven't had screens, children find ways to entertain themselves and they often find joy in far simpler things if the relentless over stimulation of screens is taken away.
People didn't just 'manage' because they didn't have screens, families were often very happy. If anything overuse of screens makes children's behaviour far worse, and makes them harder to manage.
Can you imagine going back in time and asking a an average family how they cope without a square black box for their kids to stare at. They would think you were mad.

And the comparison to central heating is illogical, central heating is a positive thing and does no harm whatsoever, screens are being proven to be damaging to kids. Listen to the educators on the thread.

Yep agree with this. I saw a toddler at soft play centre refusing to go play as he just wanted his iPad…. To watch YouTube videos. This is shocking . But just 3 year old currently watching a few episodes of Bluey after full day at nursery whilst I clean up after dinner. I think that’s ok. It’s what, when, where and how long that’s important.

Yes but screens, a massive reduction in physical activity (highly regulating for ND kids) and upfs have created an environment that makes it much, much harder for ND kids to regulate and develop attention. Childhood is very different to my childhood in the 70s. Where 1/3rd of women did work and actually children got less attention from their mum’s then they do now. But we played out for hours, walked to school, had made on site school lunches. Very different now

Nailed it!

This is so important- so often kids get screens because it's the only way to get them to behave. But if they didn't have the screens they would be better behaved and need them less.

As a teacher of 20+ years I can tell you that have seen the impact over those times, especially since smart phones, it is depressing.
Attention span, posture, peripheral vision, social skills, language development, listening skills, memory, physical health, academic application, teacher energy.... all impacted and that's before any content concerns or safeguarding risks come into it. It's really bad OP. Not all children, not all who have some access but the earlier they get it and the more time they spend increases their risk.
It's so sad to see it and seems so unfair that these children's lives would be different if they weren't exposed to it.

It’s the same with anything…. Too much of anything isn’t good for you!

my DD is 9, suspected ADHD and has an iPad since she was about 4. Loves Roblox and other iPad games. Shes an only child so any “entertaining” falls to us parents. Which we do our best but obviously can’t do it as much as she would like. So she will go her iPad…I try and get her to do arts and crafts, or anything else but she won’t.

Anyway, her screen broke. So she’s had no iPad for 2 weeks and the change in her has amazing. She’s been drawing, playing with toys, watching actual films, her behaviour has improved.

Yes we no longer live in a world where children are out and about playing in the streets. So iPads can play their part but when/if she gets her iPad back it will be greatly restricted!

Oh dear this is the shout back of my 14 year old when I’m limiting their access to them.

Our brains are developed that is the point. Children’s brains are not and screens are causing damage.

I work in education, it IS a huge problem and is a REAL concern. I have seen a huge shift in children’s concentration, ability to listen, engage and their mental health since we parent using screens.

I don’t believe in complete removal as they are growing up in this modern world but posters would be silly not to listen to the very real scientific research coming out and lived experiences of educators.,

This, i was told when mine were little to consider screens as wasted time. It's okay to waste a bit of time, but if you're wasting a lot of time then you're not splashing in puddles, or exploring woods, or learning about friendship, or reading exciting books, or enjoying lovely chats with mum or dad (or anyone else), or building lego or making up imaginary worlds.

But then we are criticised for micromanaging; why can’t kids just chill any more is a whine I see a lot on here.

I don’t agree with it, but I do see it.

I have a very active 2 year old. Her helping me looks like mixing something in a bowl, mixing and ‘cooking’ vegetable peels, putting things from one bowl to another, pouring water from one container to another, spraying some water on the floor and wiping it off, randomly putting pegs on things, ‘chopping up’ some Velcro food toys on a board, rolling out some home cooked play dough and making ‘biscuits’. There are SO many things that will fascinate a toddler and be easy to arrange.

Where has anyone said ban all screens? What about responsible use of screens to prevent damage to kids makes you so angry and defensive?

I agree completely. My daughter is busy but she enjoys all her activities and they are good for her. Any screening time is generally educational (the likes of Storybots or Deadly 60) or we watch TV together and talk about it at bedtime. Tablets and games consoles are a different thing altogether than watching something educational or with a parent.

I do actually agree with @soupyspoon

It’s understandable, but there are undoubtedly parallels.

It’s really not.

This is a straw man though. It's like saying you don't need to worry about guns because knives already exist. Or you dont need to worry about nuclear weapons because bombs already exist. There is a huge amount of research now (proper peer reviewed evidence) that the addictive algorithms of the likes of YouTube are genuinely more harmful. Just being able to have the screens everywhere and take them with us is genuinely more harmful.

I’ve just gone back to work and am teaching a GCSE English class. I asked them to check their daily screen time last week. It ranged from 8 hours to 16 hours. Imagine what they could be achieving in that time. As it stands most of them will struggle to pass. The landscape has changed enormously even since I was last teaching five years ago

for toddlers and young children? It would be a great solution, why do they need screens at all?

Yep, the only solution is to ban all the screens apart from the ones everyone on here is using to get on MN.

If your kid is 6 year old, it don't need to be as bad as 1 year old on screen. If you're worried and you need downtime, let him explore cupboard with plastic containers. Children find it fascinating. Just child-proof cupboard.

This! - gaming that involves proactive and reactive planning and strategy are completely different from mindless scrolling of You Tube shorts.

Yes, this bothers me too. 'Well, do you want me to give my toddler Peppa Pig on my phone at full volume or do you want them screaming in the middle of the cafe?!?!?!'. There are actually quite a lot of other options here...

Yes thank you I’m aware of that, and I think you know full well that this is not the point I’m making. I am talking about people who are in perfect health, plenty of family help, money to spend on activities and toys and nice houses with gardens etc etc preaching to parents who are, to give one example, incredibly sick and/or disabled and do use a screen occasionally as a result: “your 3 year old watches TV?! Mine’s never even SEEN one”

And yes people were sick etc before screens and they “managed”. People didn’t always live in centrally heated buildings, and they “managed”. Shall we all go and live outside?

A lot of people work from home so noise levels are an issue, children don't have the freedom to go out and play in the physical world with their peers the way they once did, family size has shrunk rapidly in recent decades and often there is no sibling.

I agree, it's a tragedy so many children spend their time alone, sedentary and passive even when they do have other kids to play with. But it's a wider cultural issue too, birthday parties are full of kids on phones, if you arrange playdates kids expect to be on their phones for this time and really do not like being told to leave them by the door, and asking them to makes you a very unpopular playdate host!

It's great you are available to ensure they're not on screens but it's not an feasible option for many.

I work in a shop and day after day mums come in with babies in prams with phones or whatever in their little hands. No interaction from mum, no awareness of surroundings, just eyes fixed on a screen.

Mums brought up larger families than we have these days and not a screen in sight. Its no wonder children are growing up being unable to hold proper conversations or socialise properly.
Kids are starting school unable to spell their own names, count to ten or read and its all down to laziness from mums relying on screens to occupy children.

Give the children a screen then they throw a strop when it is removed because they are addicted. Then they often get labelled as ADHD when what they lack is proper parents giving them time and involving them rather than saying they would never get anything done if the kids did not have a screen. I had 4 children under 7 and no family support and yet managed.