How much screen time is too much screen time?
As parents, especially during a pandemic, this is a question that many of us have struggled with. I’ve struggled with it so much that I tried to find official studies by searching on my phone. That took about an hour. Then to make sure of the result, I jumped on my computer and searched some more. 12 hours later, I was still unsure.
I asked my 7-year-old if he felt that staring at a computer screen all the time was harmful to his mental health and physical well-being. He told me that it was a great question and stated that after he finished his all-nighter video game marathon, he would get back to me.
Not daunted, I decided to quiz the two teenagers that I had in the house. I texted the question.
“How much is too much screen time for children?” I sent.
“Who is this and how did you get my number?” they replied.
Hmm, yes, I see their point. Once they get through with their mandatory 10-hour Zoom calls, I plan on doing an in-person interview. For now, the question still bothers me. As my wife works from home and has been for roughly an eternity, I thought I would ask for her input.
I opened the door to our bedroom which now also serves as my wife’s office. Honestly, her cat coworker is a bit of a dick, but what are you going to do? There’s always someone like that in any working environment.
We have a newly installed JumboTron so she can better see her other coworkers as she completes her meetings. You’ve seen the JumboTrons at stadiums and now they are very affordable. Up on the scoreboard, the message flashed “I’m in a meeting! Also, please put some pants on.” Although that is great life advice, it still didn’t answer my question of how much screen time is too much screen time for children?
It was obvious to me that the answers I was looking for would not be found on the screens I keep in the home. With this pandemic pushing past 10 months and looking to go on at least another 6, I need to know the answer to this question.
My neighbor recently installed a drive-in movie screen next door, so I went over to ask him. He wanted me to put pants on, too, and wondered why am I wearing his house slippers? I told him I didn’t know what slippers had to do with the screen time question and at that point, he started the movie on his screen. Since I had already seen Herbie the Love Bug, I left with his slippers.
During this pandemic, many of us parents are discovering that what has worked before is not working now. From school to pants, to how much time on the screen is good for our children. And the new rules that people have come up with seem to imagine that we are not in a pandemic at all. Our situation is not normal and it’s a source of constant frustration that we keep trying to treat it as such. I often find that we are asking the wrong questions and when the answers are absurd, we all blindly go along.
I don’t know if I will ever get an answer to the question of how much screen time is too much screen time. Just like how we won’t get answers to some of our other questions. Why can’t people wear a mask when so many are dying? What the hell is up with vaccine deniers getting top billing in the news? Why are pants a topic of national conversations?
I don’t know where we will all end up in the new year. But the one thing I can say for sure is that I’m no longer concerned about screen time as there seem to be bigger issues at hand.
And also, I’m keeping my neighbor’s slippers. They are very comfy.
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