Any benefits to screentime?

Sarah1916 · 12-01-2021 1:33pm #1

I have been quite strict since my little girl was born 16 months ago to limit her screen-time. She is now allowed use our phone, has no access to a tablet/laptop and is not allowed watch cartoons etc. at home. She might glance up at the TV when we have it on at the weekend or evening but not interested (adult programmes, news, sport etc.). When she is in her cousins they watch kids TV and when she is in the childminder (10 days a month approx.), the childminder minds other kids so there is kids TV on which I am sure she watches.

Sorry for the essay but I was just wondering if there are any benefits to screen-time for her in her development that I am not aware of. I know all of the negatives but I just want to make sure she isn't falling behind as I know some people allow their kids watch 'educational' TV programmes or youtube channels. And also, would she find it harder to catch up on her IT skills the longer I keep tablets/laptops away from her?

I would love to hear personal experience or opinions from people or be directed to any research into the benefits of screen-time.

Any personal experience of the best time to introduce screen-time would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

awec · 12-01-2021 2:18pm

At 16 months the biggest benefit is if they'll sit quietly for half an hour while you get something else done.

B-D-P-- · 12-01-2021 2:30pm

Absolute no expert in the area, But Technology is the way forward in life in general.
While I really really commend you on a great job not raising a screen zombie.

I would let the child learn how to navigate screens ect so she doesn't fall back to other children her age?

bee06 · 12-01-2021 2:32pm

I didn’t get a phone until I was 18 and and didn’t get a tablet until I was 35. I’m still well able to navigate technology. I wouldn’t say limited screen time at that age will hinder the child in any way. My 3 year old has limited phone/tablet time and still has picked up pressing play, swiping etc.

lazygal · 12-01-2021 2:53pm

We always had computers at home because my dad's job involved them. So I have no memory of not having screen time.

As kids we watched hours of crappy Saturday morning cartoons and all of us are still avid readers.

As my kids get older I'm aware of the group nature of chat in school and that sometimes they want to watch something that everyone is talking about and I don't want them sitting there without knowing what's going on. Mine are 7 and 8 and they deserve to enjoy a bit of whatever's the hot thing these days.

awec · 12-01-2021 3:16pm

Some screen time definitely has benefits in our personal experience. Our toddler watches stuff like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and picks things up from it, e.g. she was able to identify more advanced shapes like hexagons etc while other kids her age were still just recognising squares and circles.

But stay away from that cocomelon stuff on youtube, more for your sake than theirs. It will melt your head.

bee06 · 12-01-2021 4:08pm

Blippi is a favourite here. We cast YouTube onto the TV and he gets an hour a day of his choice. We only started when he was two. Usually in the morning because he gets up so early. He amazes people with his talk of hydraulic cylinders and expect to be corrected if an excavator is called a digger. We try to keep away from him using phones and tablets though for now. When it’s on the tv we watch together and talk about it.

I draw the line at Peppa Pig though.

shesty · 12-01-2021 8:34pm

I wouldn't say there is any educational value at 16 months old to screen time.

As someone else pointed out, it might buy you 30 mins of head space, but will she be educationally or developmentally behind somehow because she has no screens...no.Kids are sponges.She has tonnes of time for learning.IT is not a necessary skill for her for a good while yet.

I would give her TV time over a phone tbh, ours never get a phone but they do see TV.When they get bigger, can voice opinions and throw almighty strops, they still consider your phone as potentially their item to amuse themselves and rows can become big.

Loveinapril · 12-01-2021 9:04pm

bee06 wrote: »

Blippi is a favourite here. We cast YouTube onto the TV and he gets an hour a day of his choice. We only started when he was two. Usually in the morning because he gets up so early. He amazes people with his talk of hydraulic cylinders and expect to be corrected if an excavator is called a digger. We try to keep away from him using phones and tablets though for now. When it’s on the tv we watch together and talk about it.

I feel like your kid is my kid!!

We don't have a tablet. We definitely noticed a change in our 3 year old's behaviour if we ever gave him limited time on our phones so we stopped that. He got so engrossed and had proper meltdowns when you tried to take it away. We are more relaxed about tv, he asks for something first thing in the morning when he has just woken and then again at about 5pm. He will happily play while it is on in the background and isn't glued to it when it's on unless he is tired. He loves Blippi from Youtube (ugh) and learns loads from him in relation to different vehicles, which he LOVES. We often just leave nursery rhyme videos on and I definitely notice, like another poster, that he would have a great knowledge of shapes. Even my 18 month old attempts to say "hexagon". I suppose for us it is how you use screens. For sanity, I definitely need to leave the telly on so I can shower in peace or cook or whatever but we also use it to engage and talk about what's happening, the same way we use books.

Milly33 · 13-01-2021 10:27pm

No expert but while i get it is the done thing now, I cant see how it benefits any kid bar the keeping them quite for a while..

We let the little miss watch tv for 20mins thats it kinds every other day, unless tis a movie or something but we limit it. Noticed that the days we do give her too much screen time, she zones out and gets bratty.. There are games she plays on the fancy phone but just hungry caterpillar really. She does know how to swipe on the phone which horrifys me as I have a big hate of kids using computers like they do today.

Know two kids that more or less got every screen type in the world and today just sit there playing games on two or three screens at a time, watching mind numbing stupid videos.

There are great things for coding which I would much prefer her to get into as it challenges them. Id be kinda put off if I thought she was watching tv in the minders

Sarah1916 · 14-01-2021 11:44am

Thanks everyone for all of your feedback - it has given me more food for thought. I think I am going to continue to hold off on screen time for now. My aim is to never let her near our phone for as long as that is possible and I am conscious to try and not let her see me on the phone too much.
I think perhaps we may get some sort of tablet when she turns two and allow her some limited use for an hour or two at the weekend and as we plan to travel a bit once restrictions are lifted it may prove useful for the plane.
Hopefully we can avoid the 'Peppa Pig' type of stuff for another while yet if not altogether.
Thanks again.

2011abc · 14-01-2021 11:52am

I would have thought that basically the longer you can hold off the better .My youngest started sometime in 6-8(yes ,years) range and looking back I think it was too early .Life is changing so fast so quickly re screens !TV now seems like an intellectual pursuit by comparison .You hardly see a solo walker not staring at their screen now .Teens do it in groups !All evidence suggest you soon wont get in a shop without it .Let them remain screen free for a bit longer

Kintarō Hattori · 14-01-2021 11:58am

With our daughter when she was small she got about 30 mins on the TV in the morning as she asked for it and then later in the day if she asked for it she'd get about the same. We didn't let her use the phone as that just seemed really unhealthy and she was in control of what she could watch.
We used to and still try to put on something that is A- normal or B- educational. Dinosaurs have been a big thing for a long time and we followed up seeing them on TV with soft toys and then Sleich animals and books.

There's a lot of cheap crap on YouTube that we try to avoid. I don't remember the names of the channels but I remember one of a little girl who seems quite spoilt with what her parents give her. Everything is 'hers' and she tries to outsmart her brother to get what she wants. It's quite a big channel. I can see channels like that being quite damaging and they are a strict no-no.

We allowed her to watch some TV as I'd rather normalise her to it. Afterall she'll see it when she starts going to friends houses and I'd rather not have her transfixed by it rather than playing with a friend.

She'd watch things like:

Super Simple Play
Peppa Pig (I don't get the hate)
Śpiewanki.tv (Polish)
Blippi when she got older
Genevieve's Playhouse
Dan Surprise when she got older (not always super interesting for her)
Cocomelon

She's got a good vocabulary, loves being read to. It's pretty cute hearing 'paleontologist' coming out of a 3.5 year olds mouth.

awec · 14-01-2021 12:17pm

Kids learn things from TV, it's not something to fear. It can be intellectual. It's just another form of learning that's widely available these days with a huge variety of content.

Like everything else it's just about getting it in moderation and appropriate content (Peppa Pig is garbage). Your child watching some TV does not mean they're going to turn into the child that needs the tablet on the table every time you go to a restaurant.

Being concerned that a child figures out the basic functions of some device is not something to be horrified by IMO. It's like being horrified that they've figured out how to hold a pencil correctly.

Tombo2001 · 14-01-2021 6:52pm

One thing to note here is that its pretty easy to manage screen time

(i) for the first kid
ii)when they are young.

As kids get older, its far more difficult to manage screen time.

And, if youve got a nine year old who has regular access to screen time, then its inconsistent to then tell the 6 and 4 year olds that they cant have same.

Screen time positives - to directly respond
- for me it can be very pleasant family time to watch a movie together.
- for a child on their own -it gives you a break. And you know what - sometimes you need a break, and you shouldnt let people guilt-trip you into not having a break.

To be honest, I dont see a big difference between watching peppa pig whether its on a phone, a tv or a laptop. People get very hung up on what the actual device is. The content is much more relevant.

Any benefits to screentime?

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