Are you waging a war in your household with your kids over their screen
time? If so, you're not alone. BCH family medicine physician Dr. Corey
McCarty recently sat down to discuss screen time for kids with Denver7 News.
It's important to note that not all screen time is bad. Using technology
to video chat with a loved one or play games that promote problem-solving
can have benefits for younger kids. Many kids begin using screens to do
school work at a young age and continue to use it through high school.
While this type of use is okay, the use of screens for entertainment should
be kept to a minimum.
Explains Dr. McCarty: "We are complex organisms and if we touch things
and feel things and sense things, we develop new connections, new integrations
to neurochemistry." For younger ages, it's important for kids
to have a lot of interaction with their environment to develop socially
and intellectually. As kids get older, it is important for them to limit
activities such as gaming and social media and spend more time forming
genuine connections and relationships with their peers.
Of course, it is important for parents to model good behavior around screen
use by setting -- and following -- house rules around screen use such
as no screens in the bedroom or at the dinner table.
For the latest recommendations on screen time and to learn how to develop
a Personalized Family Media Use Plan from the American Academy of Pediatrics, visit
www.healthychildren.org.