In 2021 Molly Wright, 8 years old, gave a TED talk on how to change the world by playing peek-a-boo. If you have not seen her talk, I highly recommend that you watch it. If you did see it, I recommend you watch it again.
Pediatricians and other health care providers caring for children routinely ask about the amount of time your child spends on media devices. It is rare that the health care provider ask about the amount of time the parent spends with their phone or other devices. It is rare to be asked how many hours the TV is on in the family living area or the day care. Children of any age learn from interactions/conversations with their parents or other caregivers. Watch Molly Wright’s younger brother’s disappointment when his father picks up his device as the child crawls towards him.
Regardless of age, most people find it hard to limit screen time. If as an adult you have watched videos on your phone, spent hours on face time or gotten lost in a question-and-answer website you know how hard it can be to limit screen time. We have learned that when we are doing something fun like playing video games or exploring social media the brain releases dopamine, a brain chemical linked with positive feelings.
Sometimes media use isn’t about pleasure-seeking but avoidance of feelings of distress or boredom. When the media stops the distress returns because it wasn’t resolved. Most adults have learned how to recognize their distress and return to other activates. Children are still learning to deal with anger, frustration and disappointment.
Every parent has dealt with a “media meltdown” as they limit or take away a device. All of us will have trouble putting down digital devices from time to time as brain chemistry makes it difficult to stop something we enjoy. (A good resource is healthychildren.org, Screen Time by Jenny Radesky, MD)
It is important to recognize the importance of, and the joy of, person-to-person interactions particularly child to parent. This is very important in developing both language skills and interpersonal skills. Children younger than two learn and grow when they explore the world around them. Their minds learn best when they interact and play with parents, siblings, caregivers, and other children and adults. Children under two have a hard time understanding what they see on screen media and how it relates to the world around them. While young children can learn from high-quality educational media it is with their parents playing and viewing with them and reteaching the lessons. (Another good source in healthychildren.org is Beyond Screen Time.)
Part of a parent’s role, both for themselves and their children, is to find a healthy balance in their daily life. All family members need good nutrition, adequate sleep, physical activity (1 hour), and time away from media. If time with media is taking time away from these healthy activities it may be time to develop a “family media plan”.
by Sally Robinson, MD Clinical Professor
Keeping Kids Healthy
Published July 2024
Also See: UTMB Pediatrics - Pediatric Primary Care
UTMB After Hours Urgent Care
American Academy of Pediatrics, "Children and Media Tips from the American Academy of Pediatric," May 1, 2018.