Posted: Jun 05, 2017 9:04 pm
I'm old enough to have been around when kids only got about an hour or two screen time, after school, with a choice of about three channels. That's when the kids' programmes were on and we had our dinner, or tea as we called it in Manchester (which is not the case in many other parts of the country). Oh, I remember Saturday mornings being good too for kids' tv, though somehow me and my friends befriended an elderly sofa maker whose decrepit sofa workshop was at the end of our street. It wouldn't happen these days but on Saturday mornings he used to let us trampoline all over his sponge-material or else play snooker on a small table down near the entrance. So we often gave tv the elbow and visited him anyway on a Saturday. Regardless, in my time we were mostly engaged with the world and directly with people, mostly playing outside, mostly active. This was before computers came out of course. So, the obvious point to make is that kids now (generally speaking) aren't nearly as active as kids were back in my day. I think we've yet to see the long-term effects of kids sitting around for a large chunk of the day staring at a screen (not least for their eyesight!), but it seems obvious to me that from a physical perspective there might be significant repercussions for the kids of our time. Of course kids [generally] have better food diets and medical care than we did, in this country at least, so maybe that will balance things out a bit, but I can't help but view a sedentary lifestyle in a negative sense.
That's my primary reason of concern. I don't worry so much (rightly or wrongly) about the weirdos who might try to take advantage of our kids in forums or facebook, etc., probably because my 10 year-old daughter is still immature and doesn't appear to engage in that stuff (I do the occasional check). But mental/psychological health does concern me. I mean, firstly, what are the effects of a sedentary lifestyle upon the physical development of a child's brain? Secondly, what are the psychological effects of being stuck in a small enclosed space for hours at a time, by yourself, just engaged with your phone/laptop/x-box, not engaged with the world or directly with people? I mean, aren't prison cells supposed to be a deterrent, if you get my drift? I don't even understand why an energetic healthy child would choose that kind of social space as their favourite abode, but I suppose many of them wouldn't know any better, having [probably] received a console/phone/ipad for Xmas long before they entered puberty.
This is why, with all due respect to Fallible, I reject her claim that there should be no masters in the house. Kids are neither educated nor experienced enough to know what's right for them. And with that in mind I think that a parent does have a responsibility to steer their kids in the right direction regards limiting their screen time. At least, I believe that if they have the kind of kids who have a tendency to want to be in front of a screen for most of their spare time. My step-daughter who is 15 is like that. I do worry about her and nag her regularly about it. But I guess the jury's still out on the matter.
That's my primary reason of concern. I don't worry so much (rightly or wrongly) about the weirdos who might try to take advantage of our kids in forums or facebook, etc., probably because my 10 year-old daughter is still immature and doesn't appear to engage in that stuff (I do the occasional check). But mental/psychological health does concern me. I mean, firstly, what are the effects of a sedentary lifestyle upon the physical development of a child's brain? Secondly, what are the psychological effects of being stuck in a small enclosed space for hours at a time, by yourself, just engaged with your phone/laptop/x-box, not engaged with the world or directly with people? I mean, aren't prison cells supposed to be a deterrent, if you get my drift? I don't even understand why an energetic healthy child would choose that kind of social space as their favourite abode, but I suppose many of them wouldn't know any better, having [probably] received a console/phone/ipad for Xmas long before they entered puberty.
This is why, with all due respect to Fallible, I reject her claim that there should be no masters in the house. Kids are neither educated nor experienced enough to know what's right for them. And with that in mind I think that a parent does have a responsibility to steer their kids in the right direction regards limiting their screen time. At least, I believe that if they have the kind of kids who have a tendency to want to be in front of a screen for most of their spare time. My step-daughter who is 15 is like that. I do worry about her and nag her regularly about it. But I guess the jury's still out on the matter.