Is "Screen Time" bad? Why? What is too much? Why?

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I work as a graphic designer, so I have 9-10 hours a day of working on screens (four actually--two laptops, each with an external monitor). In addition to this, I often use a laptop or iPad at home to make notes, sketch ideas or write. I also write code, play games, research topics of interest, read books and work on photographs on my laptop or iMac at home...

I don't really understand why "Screen Time" is considered a problem. A huge chunk of my life happens in those screens.

I love hiking in the woods, bodysurfing and walking on the beach, and bicycling, I can spend hours doing any one of those things. But I don't see a danger or problem in screen time, and I am a bit disturbed to see it frequently presented as an obvious evil.

Should I be concerned about limiting my children's screen time? My own? What are your thoughts on this?

This is just my opinion, so take it or leave. I personally, love my computer. I spend a great deal of my time on it. I think that the screen time thing is only a problem when the screen time takes over to the point of stopping all those other things that kids need to do like learn to control their bodies physically, school related things, that sort of thing.

It isn't screen time per se for me. It is any activity where the kid is constantly stationery.

I'd say the answer is different for children vs adults. For very young kids, under 3, they should be spending most of their time interacting with the physical world and other people rather than watching tv or playing on an iPad in order to help develop a lot of foundational skills. for elementary school kids, TV and video games are such a draw that parents have to encourage or insist on time away from the screen for reading, homework, and playing outside.

I agree with this

I kind of wish I spent more of my early life off the computer, I used to have so many cool places to ride my dirtbikes and now they are all subdivisions

For us it is a good thing b/c that is where my son finds a lot of his special interest stuff, and it usually segues into something creative. He makes PowerPoints and draws on the computer and does a lot of things that he does not have patience for if he only had pencil and paper.

Maybe his motor skills would be better if he didn't have a choice, I don't know. I really don't necessarily think so b/c of the frustration level. I would rather he do something creative in Paint or PhotoShop or PowerPoint, than feel like he can't create things. He is proud of what he does, and it is interactive b/c he involves us in what he does b/c of his pride.

Could he be less indoorsy? Probably. He is not into sports, though b/c of his motor skills, and the marginal improvement would not really be an incentive to him. We do things outside that make sense for him given his skill sets and frustration level, but he is picky about weather and dirt, and bugs and, well he just is not an outdoorsy little guy. Would he be more social? No, b/c it is not where he is. His interest level in kids (though increased) is not like an NT and low even for HFA. At home, during his free time he just wants to decompress and be himself. He likes to do imaginitive play with me and is not on the computer all the time.

I think people have different issues, and different families have different issues. So I am not saying that almost unlimited screen time is good for every child or every family. For us, I am very grateful for the computer. (He is not really into TV so I did not include that.)

The APA recommends no TV or computers for kids under 2, because there's evidence that it slows their development. Apparently they find it overstimulating.

However, past the age of 2, screen time in moderation is no big deal. It's when it interferes with other things that it becomes a problem.

There is a huge difference between how much time an adult spends on a computer/TV and how much time a child does. Children's brains are obviously still developing and they need interaction with something other than a computer screen. Some folks here find that their older kids need support and structure around screen time on order to help them learn how to regulate themselves and make good choices about how they spend their time. I find all the arguments about how they will become great programmers if us parents would just let them be on the computer as much as they want to be a bit hollow. To get any kind of job you need to have at least some basic social skills and those don't really get developed playing Super Mario. I say kids need parents to help them find a balance. That balance is going to be different for every family and every kid. If you don't think that the amount of screen time your lids are currently getting is interfering with other things they need to do then you needn't worry.

It's not screen time itself that is bad, it's getting addicted to one screen time activity like a computer game or internetz pr0n or something, then having that activity take over your life to cause you to stop attending to other things that you need to be attending to that is the problem. I spend most of my time using the computer too, but that is my work, which is also my play.

You are an adult, whereas a young child needs to engage in motor activities to learn. Playing with a ball, stacking blocks, finger painting, etc aren't just for fun but teach children spatial, numerical, and other skills. Screen time in and of itself is not an evil, but it and these other activities are mutually exclusive.

Long run, it is an individual thing, but studies do show a correlation between increased screen time and decreases in cognitive functions in children, so with kids, you want to error on the side of caution.

Studies also show that children learn better when they move more, as in a lot more; their brains function better. Studies also show that sitting for 8 hours a day much increases your risk of heart disease.

And so.

Me ... I work all day on screens, and I feel it is an awful way to live. Took me years but I'm thinking the screens are why I've been struggling with depression so much lately. Sure, it is convenient and efficient, and you don't notice anything negative about it in the moment, but our bodies weren't designed to do this.

Human bodies were built to move and interact with the environment, and we want to make sure that we've built that into our children's lives in natural ways, that work for them. It is a huge societal problem right now, that we do not move enough and are not outside enough to keep our bodies and minds truly healthy for sustained amounts of time.

And, for me, much that is accessed through a screen is highly addictive. Since I need screens and the internet to do my work, I can't just get away from computers, but it is a huge issue for me. I never want to do what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm on a screen. Just look at the tag I choose years ago for this website, and it just keeps getting worse.

And the kids - without limits, all my daughter would do is sit with a screen. At age 12 it is not healthy that her preferred state is lying on the sofa with an iPad and earbuds. She can literally do that without a break all day and late into the night.

As a parent, your job is to know your unique child - who may or may not be affected by things in the same way you are; know all the pros and cons; and strive to find the right balance for your unique family. No one else can answer that for you, but I do think that fighting the pull towards screens is something we all have to do to some extent, or it will take over in ways you weren't expecting.

My son has a problem which arises from time to time (like today). He gets extremely upset with how he's doing with a game. Neither of us parents were home at the time, and he scared the daylights out of his older sister.

The BLUE LIGHT is a problem and does affect sleep. If are having difficulties sleeping well at night, I'd shut down your computer earlier so your body has a chance to settle. The glare is also bad for your eyes. You can purchase screens for your monitor that helps with this.

There's probably more. I think I heard the humming of the computer can create problems in people.

I probably allow more screen time than most parents.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way....this is what works at our house on weekend days in which we are in the house (either because of weather or because I have to work from home): Even hours: screen allowed. It could be computer, wii, Kindle for games, or tv. Odd hours: No screens. The exception is their Kindles...but ONLY for reading. Odd hours they can play games, do crafts, etc.

If I didn't have such a rule, it would be Screen Time 24/7. I need something that is easy to remember and simple to enforce, and the above rule seems to work pretty well. My kids are 7 and 11. 7 y/o has mild ASD and 11 y/o has pretty severe ADHD and NVLD.

I think this is what is most important.

In our case, screens get in the way of my son having appropriate social interaction - something he very much wants to do. He has a hard time understanding that friends don't like it when you ask them over and immediately whip out your electronic device and ignore them (or, for that matter, your book, or your headphones...we have multiple challenges and it isn't just with screens - just that those are the hardest to deal with.) I wouldn't ask him to socialize so frequently if he didn't initiate it and talk about it all the time - he very much wants to - but he gets distracted and pulled by so many things that it is difficult.

They also trigger his difficulty with transitions, so we have to address how to get him to stop. He needs to stop in order to go to school, do homework, sleep and eat - and those are pitched battles every single day.

So, for all of our sanity, we severely restrict screen time in our home. We are very different from many people. However, we never eliminate it entirely (we never do 'screen free' week.)

If screen time works for you, then I don't see the problem. It doesn't work for us without a lot of restrictions.