Sharon Scott, LPC, LMFT - For years, child-development specialists have warned that prolonged screen time is a detriment to a child’s emotional and cognitive growth.
Glenn Sparks, professor of communications at Purdue University says, “As we erect screens in our public places, where casual interaction normally takes place, we do damage to interactions that foster community and civility. There are unique benefits that come from people who are physical casual for us.” Strong ties in society are obviously important. However, weak ties also prove important by holding society together. Andrew Ledbetter, professor of communications of Texas Christian University that face-to-face, off-line contact and talking on the telephone is what drives closeness.
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Books That Work!
By Sharon Scott
Family counselor Sharon Scott is the author of 8 books including this delightful series for children that is "co-authored" by her savvy cocker spaniel Nicholas who makes learning valuable life skills fun.
Too Smart for Trouble , a best-selling, award-winning book, teaches children to think on their own and how to say no when asked to do something wrong.
Not Better... Not Worse... Just Different is must reading for children to learn to be more sensitive to others, avoid bullying and know how to handle teasing.
Life's Not Always Fair is a child's guide for managing emotions and learning to soothe oneself when mad, sad, scared or confused.
Nicholas' Values is a delightful guide helping children develop good character traits such as honesty, confidence, sharing and so much more!
Too Cool for Drugs helps children learn why and how to say no to drugs--drug education must begin in the home at an early age!
When I walk into the waiting room of my counseling office, I almost always see the parents and the child texting or reading e-mail. It’s silent as they are not interacting with one another. Same situation when I have a couple come for counseling—and everyone wonders why they can’t get along!
The Dallas Morning News recently reported that Mr. Sparks said that our brains are being overtaxed as all the switching required with technology puts processing demands on our brain.
I remember when I had one of my dogs in obedience class some years ago that the instructor said that the dogs would probably sleep on the way home as they were processing what they learned and to let them sleep. Now we have research to back that up. Loren Frank, a physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, reports that in animal studies that any time they stop and take a break, the hippocampus works and “seems to be rehearsing or rehashing what they’ve learned during the awake state.”
Suggestions to teach your child (and yourself):
1. Do not allow texting or e-mailing or talking on the phone during face-to-face conversations, obviously including meal times.
2. When you see your child after school, they need some down time to let the day’s learning sink in before immediately being rushed to activities or beginning homework.
3. When in the car I would suggest the old-fashioned idea of interacting with one another verbally.
4. Stop overscheduling your children—or allowing them to do so. Kids who are involved in too many activities often have trouble sleeping (they can’t wind down), can become anxious, may develop perfectionistic tendencies and are usually exhausted.
5. Definitely limit the amount of time your child spends in front of screens. If the child won’t shut it off at the time you request, then it needs to be removed as a privilege.
Copyright © 2011, Sharon Scott. No reproduction without written permission from author.
P.S. Please see my other column “SmileNotes.”
P.S. Please see my other column SmileNotes.
