Quality Preschool, Infant and After School Programs

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Screen Time

We use our smartphones for pretty much everything these days and it is hard to imagine the world we live in without them. Our smartphones and various other technologies are a big part of our daily lives, we shop, bank, play games, send text messages, find dates, and even sometimes make a phone call. The prevalence of cell phones and screens in general has become a heated issue among parents. At Adventures in Learning, we strive to provide a positive learning environment while integrating technology where acceptable. Utilizing smart boards, laptops and other types of media can prepare a child for the predominantly digital world that they will one day be navigating. Of course with all of the positive benefits that technology offers there are bound to be drawbacks.

Too Much Screen Time

The thing about technology in general is the fact that many of us have been exposed since birth. Today’s, parents are not the generation that can remember a time without television. The baby boomer generation is now struggling to keep up in a much more complicated world than what they were brought up in, it would only stand to reason that we would want to help our little ones adopt technology. The issue with technology today is the oversaturation of media available to young children. It is common knowledge that very young children should not be introduced to screens of any kind. In reality, the infants are exposed to media from pretty much birth. After infancy the best rule of thumb is to limit the amount of screen time that your children are exposed to and the screen time should serve a purpose. All sorts of issues have been attributed to too much screen time when children are young. So far, the experts say that screen time is not good for children unless it is limited and promoting education.

Not Enough Screen Time

There are some camps that do not believe that screen time will have a detrimental effect on our children. Generally it is a personal decision and increasingly, more and more children are handed smart phones at a very young age to keep them quiet. How many time have you been in a restaurant next to a fussy child and wished their mother would click open Netflix so you all can have some peace. Increasingly, that is becoming more normal.  

Which Is Better?

Clearly, the experts rule in favor of limited screen time which is probably the best policy for establishing screen time limits and regulations. This debate has been going on for generations and will no doubt continue into the future. The moms of the 1970s and ‘80s were famous for saying that the TV was going to melt your brain, which we all knew would not happen, the focus is now on the overuse of smartphones. Ultimately the best solution is to turn off the cell phone and head to the park with your kids. Spend some time outdoors enjoying the physical connection with your children, you will both benefit.