Kids Shouldn’t Look at Screens All the Time
Helen: People really stress about how much time their kids spend watching screens. At the same time, lots of parents use screens as virtual childminders. Their kids are occupied, absorbed, safe and parents know where they are.
Helen: That’s fine, but kids need to learn other skills, too. They need to know how unpredictable humans are. They need to learn how to socialize in a group dynamic.
Helen: They need to learn in a way that’s intuitive and not just process-driven or task-based. They need less stimulation, um, particularly late at night. They need to learn how to write using their hand and how to concentrate for longer than five minutes.
Helen: Screen time does need to be limited, even among older kids. On the other hand, their world will most likely be a digital one, whatever career they choose.
Vocabulary
virtual childminders – television, phones, or computers used to keep children busy so adults do not have to watch them, “Many parents use tablets as virtual childminders while they cook dinner.”
occupied – busy doing an activity, “The children were occupied with their coloring books for hours.”
absorbed – giving all your attention to something because it is very interesting, “He was so absorbed in his video game that he did not hear his mom call his name.”
unpredictable – changing often so that you never know what will happen next, “The weather in spring is very unpredictable.”
socialize – to spend time talking and enjoying activities with other people, “Going to school helps children learn how to socialize with others.”
group dynamic – the way people in a group interact, talk, and behave with each other, “The teacher watched the group dynamic to see how well the students worked together.”
intuitive – learning or doing something based on natural understanding rather than deep study, “The new phone app is very intuitive and easy to use.”
process-driven – focused strictly on following a set list of steps or rules to finish something, “Factory work is usually process-driven because every step must be done the exact same way.”
task-based – focused on finishing specific, single jobs one by one, “Our lesson today is task-based, focusing just on cleaning the kitchen.”
stimulation – things that excite your senses or make your brain active and busy, “Playing fast video games gives a lot of stimulation to young minds.”
concentrate – to give all your attention and thoughts to a single activity, “It is hard to concentrate on reading when the TV is too loud.”
limited – kept under a certain amount, size, or time control, “The amount of tickets for the concert is limited.”
on the other hand – a phrase used to show a different or opposite point of view, “I love living in the city; on the other hand, the countryside is much quieter.”