The Right way to Use Screens - Week 296

I once heard about this topic on TV some time ago, about whether putting young children in front of screens to entertain and keep them distracted is good or not. Personally, I do not see anything bad with keeping children in front of a screen, especially when it is for educational purposes. I believe the real issue is not the screen itself, but how it is used. Let me explain.

We live in a digital world where phones, tablets, computers, and television are literally part of our daily life. It is almost impossible to avoid them. So instead of avoiding them, I think parents, guidance or caregivers should learn how to use them wisely for the betterment of children. There are many educational programs today that are made specially for children. There are videos in alphabet songs that teaches children how to pronounce letters. There are videos that are made for counting and such videos make numbers easy to understand. There are learning apps that teach shapes, colors, animals, and even teaches how to read and pronounce words. Such are the things that should be used on screens for children.

When children watch these kinds of video, they are not just sitting, staring and getting distracted. They are learning. Those alphabetical and numerical songs they are listening to, the colors they are watching, the images, and the sounds they hear, help them to learn and also enable them connect words with pictures. For instance, when a child sees the letter A on the screen with a picture of an apple coloured in red, and hears the sound at the same time,(A is for Apple 🍎), it becomes easier for them to remember. What we see with our eyes often stays in our mind longer than what we only hear. An image can remain in our memory for years. I can still remember some of the programs like teletubbies, cartoons or lessons I've watched when I was a child. Visual learning can create lasting memory. Seeing something helps the brain form a clear picture of that thing and that picture stays inside a person. When children watch educational programs, those pictures help boost their memory and knowledge. They begin to understand and connect ideas easily. They recognize letters and numbers easily.

I also believe that good educational content can help improve attention span when it is well structured. Some programs and videos can train children to focus. Some learning apps even ask children to answer simple questions, which keeps their mind active, build thinking skills and improve their understanding. So I do not see anything bad with keeping children in front of a screen, especially when it is for educational purposes.

However, I do not support keeping children under the screen to watch aggressive or violent videos. That can seriously have a huge negative effect on them. Children copy what they see. If they watch violent videos that involves fighting, shouting, or aggressive behavior, they may begin to act the same way. Before you know, it can affect their behavior. So content of what children watch matters a lot.

But one thing I will like to say is that, even though I support putting children in front of the screens mainly for educational purpose, it should not replace proper parenting. No screen should replace parent to child closeness. Children need real conversation, real connection from their parents. They need to feel that someone is listening to them. There should also be toys around children that they can play with like the building blocks toys, word formation toys and many other educational toys.

So instead of constantly placing them in front of the screen, why not play with them with those toys, talk to them, if possible allow them to jump, run, read, and sometimes feel bored. That can build their confidence towards you as a parent and boredom itself can push them to think, imagine and create their own ideas.

So I believe keeping children in front of screens is not bad, as they can support learning and boost memory of a child when used for the right reasons. But at the same time, they should not become a babysitter. There should be limit to screen time. Thank you!!!