AS WITH SO MANY THINGS, IT’S ALL
ABOUT BALANCE
Now, we should be careful not to jump to hasty
conclusions about what the aforementioned
findings mean. They don’t automatically tell
us that it’s an actively unhealthy thing to try to
manage or influence your children’s screen time,
especially given the relative lack of research into
the consequences of high levels of screen use
for kids to date.
Nonetheless, stories like the above should give
us pause for thought before we get too caught
up in the various more sensationalized stories
about just how bad a high amount of screen
time is supposed to be for youngsters.
Right now, there’s every reason to think it is
a balanced approach to your children’s use
of technology – rather than one that slams
down strict limits – that is also the healthiest.
This is surely especially the case given that
not all screen time is the same, and even
such activities as gaming or messaging their
friends may help your children to bolster their
creativity and resilience in ways that will serve
them well in later life.
The next time you see your kids enthusiastically
blasting out music on their smartphones or
absorbed in a YouTube video, then, we would
suggest that you don’t worry quite as much
as some media columnists might suggest
you should. You never know – they may even
be en route to becoming the next Elon Musk
or Tim Cook.
by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan