Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Merrick on July 16, 2010 at 5:06am

Yes.

Children need for adults to set limits for them. Of course there should be limits for screen time, as there should be limits for snacks, limits for telephone time, and limits for time spent on homework. There, I've taken a stand. Now for the good part.

The limits a child has for screen time need to be tailored according to both the child's learning needs and type of screen time. Some students seem to develop, on their own, a thirst for learning through online activities, and some build their own social networks, their own PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) online in ways that are almost organic, They may need more time each day, informed by guidance in Digital Footprinting, Online Safety, and Netiquette, to best cultivate those inclinations. All screen time is not equal: It really cannot be argued that an hour playing Red Dead Redemption is comparable in value to an hour pursuing standards-aligned, socially relevant leaning in Quest Atlantis, for example. Should the one count more toward screen time limits than the other? And is television time "screen time?" Should passively watching Sponge Bob Squarepants (a favorite of mine) or The Naked Bros. Band (not) be included in the same kind of limits? What if the child is texting with friends while watching? Does that double the "screen time" or triple it? What about the child whose education is taking place at a virtual school?

This is a thorny issue and I default, as we all must, to individual parental choice. In my opinion there need to be more discussions like this, along with resources readily available to help parents sort out the best answers for their own children. Perhaps ISTE should mount an online collaborative project to give numerical values to types of screen time! That brings up the collateral issue of adult screen time? How do we tackle that one?

Permalink Reply by Charles Merritt on July 16, 2010 at 3:59pm

Charles Merritt

No.

During my ten years as a school administrator, I’ve had many conversations with parents and teachers seeking solutions for their students’ inclination to spend hours in front of a computer screen. The problem most often reported is that the child is wasting time, on either video games or social networking.

Often missing from these conversations is the detail of what their child is doing on the computer. As I listen carefully, I eventually ask about the specific activities that children are engaged in on the screen. Some parents are secretly proud of their kid’s prowess at video games, while at the same time, they’d like them to find balance with other activities, like reading or free play. Adults that understand the basics of social networking often acknowledge the connectedness young people feel online, but don’t see the utility of their activity. But I’m concerned when parents do not know exactly what their children are doing on the computer and feel excluded from that part of their kids’ lives.

I’d like to suggest in this article that we stop worrying primarily about the amount of kids’ screen time. I’m not suggesting that children don’t sometimes get into problems using computers, but rather that digital media aren’t the sources of these problems, so restricting access to computers is not necessarily the solution. Positive things are going on while children use computers. Adults should better understand, and even celebrate these things.

In “Video Games and the Future of Learning”, Gee, Halverson, Shaffer and Squire (2005) argue that many video games provide powerful learning environments, employing “learning by doing” and connecting information to goal-oriented virtual worlds. The real sticking point for parents and educators may be the violent or sexist content of some video games and not the medium itself. But taken as learning environments, epistemic games are undoubtedly powerful tools, teaching integration and synthesis of information, social interaction skills, problem solving and even, sometimes, valuable content.

Some educators and parents are concerned that screen time will mean their students read less. We should not force a false dichotomy between reading from paper and from a screen. Many online activities are text- and information rich. And the availability of ebooks, as Steven Johnson points, will change the way we access text.

Many online screen activities supply a means of parent-child interaction. I’ve encouraged some parents, worried about their child’s social networking activities, to join Facebook or other sites. Parents become more familiar with the tools and, therefore, more able to advise and supervise their children. Both parents and children can learn much from online social interaction.

We need to rethink what it means to “waste time” with digital media. Parents and teachers should be ready to have conversations with kids about the games and relationships they access through screens and even experience some of these activities with them. Adults will thereby be in better position to advise their kids and to celebrate their abilities gained and success experienced in front of a screen.

Permalink Reply by Rick Weinberg on July 18, 2010 at 5:36pm

There Should Be Limits

The American Academy of Pediatrics. says, “limit your children’s use of T.V., movies, and video and computer games to no more than 1 or 2 hours per day.” Enough Said. Most of us would also agree childhood obesity is an issue in our country, and screen time contributes to this problem.

Excessive screen time also contributes to mental health issues. According to Dr. Scott M. Shannon, author of Please Don’t Label My Child, 80% of the world’s stimulate medication is used in the United States. Stimulates are used for mental health issues like ADHD. According to Shannon, “if an environment is positive...the brain will respond with enhanced dendritic interconnections, cerebral blood vessels, self-regulation, cognitive depth and emotional reserve. But ... if the environment is negative, conflictual, insensitive, disengaged, abusive or inappropriately stimulated (which includes too much screen time) the brain will hardwire patterns of aggression, dysphoria, dysregulation, and learning problems that may become a life long pattern.”

I am from the Sesame Street generation and watched a lot of T.V. in my day. In defense of my parents, I’m not sure we had the kind of research we have today. I remember beautiful summer days sitting inside watching T.V. Nowadays, it is basically impossible to calculate the amount of your child’s screen time. With chip sizes getting constantly smaller and the cost of those chips decreasing, screens now fit in our pockets and the pockets of our children. Minivans are advertised with an emphasis on the head-rest-mounted DVD player screens and how harmony in the automobile is now a given because of their existence. We now have the option to “mind-numb” our children instead of engage them in conversation about license plates from other states, 20 questions, playing I Spy, or making up stories.

The more a child watches T.V., the more opportunities there are for exposure to inappropriate images. Often, I watch family shows and sports with my children and am surprised by the sexual explicitness of reality T.V. commercials, how women are depicted in beer advertisements and the ever-present “two people in separate tubs” erectile dysfunction commercials.

Don’t get me wrong, children can benefit from strategic uses of screen time. Shows like Sesame Street, Modern Marvels and the HBO show Master Class are all great places to learn schema. Just so I am clear, “paying attention” to educational movies to the point of acting comatose may not be the kind of engagement we are necessarily looking for. With all things there is a balance. As educators, we need to not only be extremely aware of how screen time fits the classroom curriculum, but also its part in the whole-day educational process, which includes home, school and childcare. It is critical to use class time to its fullest and to use computers for only the highest levels of cognitive thought and learning. Using computers should only enhance the curriculum and not be used if we need a break from classroom management or our grades are due the next day.

Permalink Reply by Yvette F. Harris, Ning Member on July 18, 2010 at 5:38pm

Yes, I would have to argue that they do need to have time limits set on how much they use an electronic device(s) while at school because of health concerns related to the postures required to use these. The kids that I have worked with on computers ages 4 - 13, do not know when to quit when it comes to playing learning games on a computer. They lose track of time and are very engaged in the process, much like what can also happen to an adult who works late on their computer and who loses track of time.

"What are the dangers of television and electronic media for young children? Television and electronic games can have a negative effect on children’s physical and emotional health, social development, academic skills and behavior. Below are some of the suspected negative effects of electronic media on children. "
URL reference: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Electronic_Media/

Permalink Reply by Randy Kulman on July 18, 2010 at 5:58pm

NO.

Setting limits on children's time with digital media is a losing battle. The recent Kaiser Foundation study that reports children ages 8 to 18 are spending an average of 7 hours 38 minutes a day with digital media and 10-1/2 hours when multi-tasking is taken into account., We are already reaching the limit of how much time children have to engage with these digital media. Rather than restricting them from digital media, our efforts are better spent making their screen time more productive and encouraging other activities.

One way to do this is by following an age-appropriate "play diet." For example, a healthy play diet for an elementary school-aged child involves extended opportunities for physical play, art and musical activities, social and family time, and homework. Parents and teachers who can make these types of activities fundamental and engaging will not need to set rigid limits on children's screen time. For preschoolers, a healthy play diet will have very little screen time in it. Rather than setting limits for elementary school children, it remains the obligation of parents and teachers to be the "owners" of the digital media. This means that parents loan their Nintendo DS or allow the child to play on their computer. Televisions, computers, and game-console systems are not allowed in a child's room.

For teenagers, it's a different story. A healthy play diet for teenagers includes a substantial amount of digital play. Text messaging, Facebooking, and cell-phone usage are the most important methods of communication for today's teens. One can also argue that many of today's engaged academic teens become increasingly knowledgeable in content and problem-solving skills by virtue of their Internet use. However, regular physical activity, time with family, and the pursuit of artistic or hands-on activities need to be part of a family's expectations and daily routine. To the degree that this is the case, we will pay less attention to setting limits on a teenager's involvement with screen time.

A second, equally important strategy is make screen time more productive. First, adults need to get kids to talk and reflect upon the thinking skills, problem solving and content creation that result from their involvement with digital technology, so they can connect it to their world. Next, game publishers and educators need to identify and market popular games and technologies that also teach content and skills. Many engaging video games and movies are well suited to teaching history; why not use these same tools for learning math, problem solving, and the sciences.

In today's digital world, it is all too easy to escape in front of a screen and get lost in nonproductive pursuits. The solution is not to limit screen time but to make digital activities more beneficial, while creating an environment in which other types of play are highly valued, modeled, and expected.

Randy Kulman, Ph.D.
LearningWorks for Kids
randy@learningworksforkids.com

Permalink Reply by Andrea Brown on July 19, 2010 at 5:05am

Of course screen time should be limited! When children are engaged with any "screen," they are being passively entertained, rather than actively entertaining themselves. Creativity and engagement in society come from the ability to interact with the world around you. These skills can't be developed in front of a computer, television, or cell phone screen. There is simply no substitute for being outside, interacting with real people, and experiencing the world without the filter of the screens. Children will receive enough exposure to technology and "screens" as they move through school. At home, they should be encouraged to use their imaginations and explore the world that isn't delivered through media.

Andrea Brown
Summit Educational Resources
abrown@summited.org

Permalink Reply by Emdisi on July 19, 2010 at 7:37am

I don't think this is a black and white issue. I don't think choosing sides on whether or not we should limit kids screen time is a beneficial use of our time. If we say "yes" we need to put limits on it, we are saying we need to do it for ALL kids. If we say we should not, we are saying no child should have limits put on their screen time. When are we going to slow down and remember kids are individuals and what's right for one kid isn't necessarily right for the next?! This is the case with so many issues regarding media and technology with kids. We should know better by now.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Kirby on July 19, 2010 at 12:12pm

Should there be limits on students’ screen time

YES!
Do we want our students to be leaders or followers? A limit to screen time can make the difference between a child becoming a leader versus a follower. For the first time, our students can use computers not only to play games, and to connect with friends, but also to connect to the world and change it using their own creativity. In other words they can use their creative thoughts to make the world better place for themselves and others.

Will growing up online, with no screen time limits give our students the skills they need to be social leaders? According to Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, students learn by watching other people’s behaviors, attitudes and the outcome of those behaviors. Unlimited screen time will inhibit their ability to observe other people’s social interactions.

Children need to be taught the importance of social interactions before they are immersed in the online world. Having a good social background and wanting to connect to other people in a positive way, is crucial. Students need some reference for Internet integrity.

Another component is encouraging creativity and teaching students to think for themselves. Besides the obvious health benefits of students getting outside and playing, limiting screen time also encourages children of all ages to connect physically to the world around them. To expand their information base by experiencing nature and physical activity.

As teachers our goal is to encourage students to think for themselves. This is vital for all students to be successful. Younger students learn so much from the physical world. Every time my children go for a walk they experience something new. They see a frog or a flower or a cloud that looks like a dragon. These aspects of growing up can not afford to be under valued. They need this physical connection to the world around them.

They cannot get these experiences online. A big portion of the online world is translated by someone else’s experiences. Our students need their own original physical experiences to enhance their creativity. This is a way students learn to think for themselves. If they do not have these physical experiences it limits them, and stunts their ability to learn.

When students have developed their creativity in a physical world and have a positive social background we can help them to communicate their ideas effectively. Then we can help them to communicate their ideas to others using technology.

The new technology age will not only effect what is online, it will also effect the physical world. Technology will determine our use of earth’s resources as well as global conservation measures. How can a society make those determinations without learning primarily in a physical world?

Only by limiting screen time can we truly teach our students the importance of balancing the physical world with the online world. By teaching them how to use their creativity and how to communicate their ideas, we will encourage leaders for the technology age.

Permalink Reply by Andra Brichacek on July 19, 2010 at 12:50pm

Check out this fascinating column that Michelle Manlove Krill posted on ISTE's Facebook page. "Reading in a Whole New Way," from the August issue of Smithsonian magazine, is a fascinating column by Kevin Kelley about the inevitable future of our cultural shift toward reading on screens.

Permalink Reply by Donald Watkins on July 19, 2010 at 2:15pm

Why would you limit a child’s screen time unless you thought it was going to do them some lasting damage. Many parents are intent upon limiting childrens screen time and moving back to a time that no longer exists and almost not even grandma remembers.  That’s because for many people there is a mistaken notion that somehow learning is not involved when children interact with television. What are your alternatives to screen time. Are you intent on raising children who are severely out of touch with the world. What is screen time? The same parents who are intent on limiting childrens interaction with television have no problem at all when their children sit staring for hours into an LCD as long as it is attached to a personal computer.
              Why is that? That is largely because of the narrow definition than many of our peers have vis a vis learning.What is real learning and why can't it occur outside the classroom? Both of our children are in their twenties and both are college graduates. In fact our daughter graduated summa cum laude, with a 3.98 and is a public school teacher within two courses of completing a master degree at St. Bonaventure University.  Was her television viewing limited? Well, to a degree it was, but we did not severely limit the viewing. Our children grew up watching Sesame Street and much of their early reading skills came from interacting with that wonderful childrens programming available from public television.
Our children grew up watching Benny Hill, Saturday Night Live and the Arsenio Hall show among others. Along the way they developed a very adult sense of humor too. They are both very creative adults and our son is an advertising executive with a major national media outlet. Both of them sat for hours watching not only Sesame Street but regularly scheduled network programs and they loved movies. I can remember them watching and then repeating almost ad nauseam the lines from many of the childrens movies of their early childhood in the early and mid-1990’s. They played out the roles of Ghostbusters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dick Tracy.  One of my favorite anecdotal moments was our daughter standing in her crib, using her little hands to create some cleavage and pretending to be Breathless Mahoney as she mimiced, “Baby, I want you.” That still brings a chuckle to us at family gatherings.
Because we were less affluent in their earlier childhood they had to learn to share television time. They had shows they viewed before school and those they watched just before bed time and each day and night my wife made breakfast and a snack at night that could be consumed in front of the television set in our living room. Eventually we were fortunate to earn enough money so that everyone in the home had their own television set complete with VCR and later with DVD players too. Our children grew up media exposed and they were richer for it. Any effort to shield or limit childrens television time will only rob them of the ability to be adequately socialized into our culture.

Rick Weinberg said:

There Should Be Limits

The American Academy of Pediatrics. says, “limit your children’s use of T.V., movies, and video and computer games to no more than 1 or 2 hours per day.” Enough Said. Most of us would also agree childhood obesity is an issue in our country, and screen time contributes to this problem.

Excessive screen time also contributes to mental health issues. According to Dr. Scott M. Shannon, author of Please Don’t Label My Child, 80% of the world’s stimulate medication is used in the United States. Stimulates are used for mental health issues like ADHD. According to Shannon, “if an environment is positive...the brain will respond with enhanced dendritic interconnections, cerebral blood vessels, self-regulation, cognitive depth and emotional reserve. But ... if the environment is negative, conflictual, insensitive, disengaged, abusive or inappropriately stimulated (which includes too much screen time) the brain will hardwire patterns of aggression, dysphoria, dysregulation, and learning problems that may become a life long pattern.”

I am from the Sesame Street generation and watched a lot of T.V. in my day. In defense of my parents, I’m not sure we had the kind of research we have today. I remember beautiful summer days sitting inside watching T.V. Nowadays, it is basically impossible to calculate the amount of your child’s screen time. With chip sizes getting constantly smaller and the cost of those chips decreasing, screens now fit in our pockets and the pockets of our children. Minivans are advertised with an emphasis on the head-rest-mounted DVD player screens and how harmony in the automobile is now a given because of their existence. We now have the option to “mind-numb” our children instead of engage them in conversation about license plates from other states, 20 questions, playing I Spy, or making up stories.

The more a child watches T.V., the more opportunities there are for exposure to inappropriate images. Often, I watch family shows and sports with my children and am surprised by the sexual explicitness of reality T.V. commercials, how women are depicted in beer advertisements and the ever-present “two people in separate tubs” erectile dysfunction commercials.

Don’t get me wrong, children can benefit from strategic uses of screen time. Shows like Sesame Street, Modern Marvels and the HBO show Master Class are all great places to learn schema. Just so I am clear, “paying attention” to educational movies to the point of acting comatose may not be the kind of engagement we are necessarily looking for. With all things there is a balance. As educators, we need to not only be extremely aware of how screen time fits the classroom curriculum, but also its part in the whole-day educational process, which includes home, school and childcare. It is critical to use class time to its fullest and to use computers for only the highest levels of cognitive thought and learning. Using computers should only enhance the curriculum and not be used if we need a break from classroom management or our grades are due the next day.

Permalink Reply by Judy Morgan on July 19, 2010 at 6:20pm

Should There Be Limits on Students’ Screen Time?

Yes, I think there should be limits on students’ screen time. I base my opinion on my experience teaching fourth graders for seventeen years. While opportunities abound in the digital age for students to engage in so many ways (social networking, homework, etc.), I believe it needs to be balanced with opportunities in the classroom for students to engage with others in face-to-face interactions.

Human interactions require a specific set of skills that I believe the online experience, as of yet, cannot completely replicate. They require students to be flexible and learn how to engage others and share in thoughtful dialogue over a wide range of subjects and experiences and to navigate the most human of all experiences, dealing with disagreement between parties. Many students are not very adept at having disagreements, but are highly skilled at high volume arguing. Interaction with others is just about being right or wrong, there is no compromise. I think that is, at least in part, due to the amount of video game playing they engage in. At least in our “neck of the woods” that is the case. I have noticed in the past number of years, that student aggression does seem to be on the rise and students’ ability to get along with others seems to be on the decline. You have to pause and wonder what the long term effects of all that gaming will be. Do we, as educators, just wait for the other shoe to drop, or do we become proactive and make those critical adjustments based on the things we are observing with our own students.

I don’t discount the value of the digital realm by any means, but I believe this may fall under the phrase “too much of a good thing.” Teachers can, by providing deliberate opportunities for students that are built into their instruction, fill in those missing experiences and help them to achieve greater balance in their personal and academic lives. Call me crazy or old fashioned, but I find it disturbing to watch a ten year old child who, when working on the computer, has the outward appearance of being hypnotized by this machine. Again, I am one of the “computer” people for my school, so I get the power and potential of the medium and use it frequently, but I would argue that in our zeal to share that almost magical wonder with our students, we are not considering every angle of that child’s social/emotional health and designing more deliberate experiences. I would argue that even though some online experiences offer very similar interactions, they cannot replicate spontaneous human contact. With the veil of each online experience, the user ultimately has the option to “be real” or not. So the experiences that you are having may or may not be “real” and that leaves you with a whole host of other problems to deal with in sorting through what may or may not be the truth.

Judy Morgan
4th Grade Teacher
Lafayette Parish School System
Lafayette, LA
judybeth@cox.net

Permalink Reply by Vern Smith on July 20, 2010 at 5:00pm

Should there be limits on students’ screen time?

This question is typical of the conundrum that haunts administrators, technology integration specialists and teachers. Coming from an impoverished school district, the most immediate response would be jealousy that students SOMEWHERE have an opportunity to have too much screen time.

Students should never be limited in their screen time at school provided that their devices are being used productively. There is no need to preach to the choir about the obvious benefits of research, active learning, engagement, productivity and creation. And it should start young … the opportunity to develop skills and confidence with devices is critical to our digital natives. The entertainment value of screen time belongs in the home.

That being said, we also must remember that balance and the development of the whole child are responsibilities of both educators and parents. Children need to run, play, exercise and socialize. The biggest changes I’ve seen since my school days are the elimination of gym classes, outdoor recess (it is now a reward rather than a practice), and after-school intramurals.

Thinking back, God bless Mom (may she rest in peace) for kicking me in the caboose, forcing me to go outside and play rather than watch more of The Three Stooges. Unfortunately, despite Mom’s best efforts, I absorbed way too much of Curly’s character.

Vernon Smith
Director of Technology
Socorro Consolidated Schools (Socorro, NM)
President-Elect of NMSTE
Member of ISTE & NM-ASCD

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