As I type these words, my two and half year old son is sprawled out on the floor beside me playing with my Ipad. His favorite app, Pooh's Birthday Surprise, is playing sweet music as his little fingers hover over the screen.
The narrator just instructed him to match two shapes. He glances up at me as if to ask if the shape he is pointing to is the correct one. After I give him a quick nod, his fingers tap the screen and happy music alerts him that he was correct. We both clap and cheer. You should see the proud smile on his face.
This moment might not have passed between my son and me, had I followed the guidelines of the The American Academy of Pediatrics in their stance about children's screen time.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under age 2 should have NO screen time, and that kids older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. By screen time, the AAP includes television viewing, Internet activities, and app/video game playing.
The AAP and many pediatricians base their recommendations on research findings which suggest that children who exceed 2 hours per day of screen time are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have higher than average attention problems.
Parents, who heed these warnings, may not offer their little ones any screen time, hoping to keep their children's untarnished attention spans intact. However, I happen to be one of those moms who sees the value of sharing special moments with my child as we gaze at a screen and play a game.
Dr. Linda Labbo, professor emerita and early literacy expert in the Department of Language and Literacy at the University of Georgia, agrees that toddlers can have enriching moments while playing computer games.
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"Unfortunately, many people have "either/or" thinking when it comes to children and technology," she said. "Just as there is educational value in books and puzzles for a two-year-old, the same can be said for computer time spent with a caring adult who shares the experience and interacts with them as they play."
Technology advances come at an incredibly fast rate. With touchscreen capabilities, children get immediate feedback on choices as they play along, while also being exposed to a new form of literacy. According to Dr. Labbo, young children who play computer games may actually have an advantage when they get to school.
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"Kids who don't have any media screen time are often devoid of media and may miss making cultural connections with other students in their class," she said. "Playing computer games will not stop our youngsters from wanting to finger paint, hear a story, build with blocks, dig in the garden or swing on a swing."
I am not condoning using the computer as a babysitter. However, I do believe that with moderation and a selective eye for educational games, I am not going to poison my toddler's brain with a little screen time.
Be sure to check out this helpful parent resource that offers guidelines for selecting appropriate video games, apps and other technologies.
Do you allow your Pre-K child to have screen time? Does your little one play with computer games or apps? How about older kids? Please share your opinion and experiences in the comments.
