Did you know screen time is not recommended for any child under 2? Did you know kids ages 2-5 should not look at a phone, tablet, television or an iPad for over an hour a day?

Teachers, counselors, doctors, developmental therapists and just about any profession charged with taking care of kiddos are telling parents this.  But as you see, many parents simply aren’t listening.

I’m sure this electronics age and all the worries about how much time kids spend with screens doesn’t sound unfamiliar.  I mean, parents and other adults were throwing fits in the 1960s and 70s when it seemed kids were watching too much TV. 

But again, many parents didn’t do anything about it.

Psychology Today reported the findings of a study that examined the correlation between screen time and autism. In the report, experts noted that children exposed to large amounts of screen time exhibited autism-like symptoms.  Language, emotional and physical development are all affected by watching screens.

Researchers report that one in 44 children are diagnosed with autism today.  In 1970, that number was one in 10,000.  In the year 2000, it was one in 150. Then there is the large number of kids who aren’t diagnosed with autism yet exhibit similar behaviors.  

As a teacher, I have seen it happening – kids who have an addiction to screens and video games.  I can see it in the eyes of my students, in their interactions with peers, and in their behavior. Kids are oblivious to so many things that they used to pay attention to. Furthermore, they want everything to be fast and immediate. Patience seems to be going by the wayside.

I am beginning to be able to discern which students have limits on their screen time. It’s becoming so apparent that it’s alarming. I talk to my students about these things, and some admit to “sneaking” screen time or knowing when their parents won’t notice.  

Teachers have used electronics time as a reward because students will work their tails off to have even a little time on their phones and devices at school.

Full disclosure: Michelle and I deal with it. Our boys and older daughter had their battles with us over video game time and phones. Our youngest, age 10, treats her iPad as an extra appendage at times. We try our darndest to set limits, make plans and adhere to a schedule.  For whatever reason, it doesn’t work and it isn’t always consistent.  

So what do you do? Some kids throw a total fit when they are limited.  We’ve got to put our foot down. That’s all there is to it. But we are in the same boat. It’s sort of like we find ourselves saying “Look, how long have you been watching your iPad?  You need to find something else to do.” That’s after we suddenly come to our senses and realize how much time she’s had the darn thing in front of her.  

A schedule, a timer, and so on would probably be more effective. Why don’t those things ever work?

There you go. Michelle and I are both in professions that are supposed to do what is right for kids.  We have four kids and should be better at parenting, but we struggle with screen time limits just like other folks.  

Social interactions and exposure to everything we are supposed to be exposed to begins to suffer due to screen time. Studies show that kids ages 2-5 are actually getting up to four hours of screen time per day instead of the prescribed one.

But just like dieting or any other challenging thing, trying to regulate screen time battles with our busy schedules, being tired, and being downright lazy.  Let’s face it.

I think of other studies that didn’t stick. You know, the ones where they reported things like “earlier research has been proven wrong” or something like that.  I try to make excuses on why my kid’s screen time might be OK.

We have had times of success with setting limits. We find that planning things in hourly chunks work best. We say things like “You have until one o’clock to finish up your game.”  

We also have ways, at times, to earn screen time. Instead of immediately jerking the iPad out of her hands, we give her warnings that “time’s up” is approaching.

I think many parents, including us, are worried about the fallout. But, we have found our kid is pretty compliant, especially if we are fair and firm in our expectations. If we waver too much, it doesn’t work.

In the end, we simply have to make adjustments.  We can’t succumb to lazy, easy parenting all the time.  We have to give our kids other options and keep a healthy “busy-ness’’ in their lives. We have to provide other stuff to occupy time; things that interest our kids and motivate them to be involved. 

Here I go again. I’m going to give it another shot.