New guidance due to be published on how screen time affects toddlers ability to speak

[ColdBlueSky]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/phone-time-screen-children-hours-b2898598.html

Like many things when bringing up your young kids it’s all about balance and moderation rather than scaring and pointing fingers at stressed out mums - because let’s face it, it’s usually the mums who feel the guilt.

I don’t agree with toddlers staring at a phone screen or tablet, and wouldn’t allow YouTube, but watching 20 mins of Stick Man or Thomas the Tank on the TV while having a cuddle on the sofa and a bit of quiet time is doing my chatty, active son no harm. He spends the rest of the day playing, reading books, talking while we run errands or play. Personally I feel a lot of the problem is caused by streaming - meaning kids can watch endlessly without breaks - parents just need to manage screen use sensibly like they manage diet, sleep etc.

Kids TV (and concerns about it) is not a new thing - I’m almost 40 and remember being plonked in front of VHS tapes of Thomas or Disney films in the mornings, with my granny telling my mum she was rotting our brains and we’d have square eyes (we all turned out fine!)

I think it's important to read in the article that:

"The study found a stark difference: children with approximately five hours of daily screen time could say significantly fewer words than those who watched for around 44 minutes. The guidance aims to help families navigate these developmental challenges".

It's not about your 44 minutes of CBeebies a day. It's telling us there is an impact if your child watches 5 hour a day, which does sound right.

I think it's helpful to have the guideline. Anyone who sees the amount of screen time for their little one increasing and increasing can have a figure in their mind what 'too much' is in practice.

Tell us you haven’t read the report without telling us you haven’t read the report…

Guidance has to be written to be understood by all cohorts, not just defensive MC mums on forums who occasionally pop on the Gruffalo in-between baby yoga and drama.

It's important to share the research because people (in spite of what's said on MN) are still heavily affected by the norms of their class and culture, and in economically deprived households, expectations and therefore outcomes are so much lower. Because if every kid around you watches 5h, you can feel like you're doing better if it's only 3.5h.

My son watches the odd hour of TV (unlimited when unwell). We steer clear when it's something that addicts and zombifies him, but, for example, he watched Tabby McTat to decompress, and afterwards pretended to play his toy guitar and sang the song.

Nobody is saying that sort of interaction with TV is harmful.

I have actually - I agree with the principle of it of it but I hate the bashing some of us get for allowing a bit of screen time, you know many will see this as a criticism. I don’t need Ms Phillipson or a report to tell me 5 hours of screen time is less healthy than 45 mins.

I get the argument that this is aimed at all parents but realistically there are often going to be many other issues needing support if a parent is allowing, or doesn’t understand, that watching 5 hours of screen time a day is harmful. Loss of children’s playgroups and social spaces is also a big problem in my local area - perhaps some of the funding from these endless studies could be better used in keeping my local library open or repairing the play park.