Screen Time Battles

The New York Times wrote about a small study that found giving kids a two-minute warning before turning off screen time created more turmoil and power struggles between parent and child. The researchers were surprised by the outcomes of this study, as was I when I read the article. The common understanding has been that warnings are important to help your child transition out of a preferred (and all consuming) activity like playing an I-pad game or watching a TV show. This study found that the warning increased the likelihood of a parent-child battle. The warning served as a trigger to prepare the child to fight the end of screen time, rather than just turning the screen off. Sometimes what seems like common sense doesn’t really work for our kids.

One thing that I have learned is that we need to trust ourselves and follow our own gut feelings in our parenting decisions. All of you are experts in your own children and you should trust that what works for you and your family is the best for you and your kids. Even if that wisdom is contradicted by professionals or new research.