As you integrate your families back into school this week, many children may be adjusting to spending less time on their iPad or cell phone.
Stephanie Susskind, an education reporter at WPTV and mother of two young children, has had many conversations with parents who say their children don’t seem to know how to play anymore after spending so much time in front of screens.
At the same time, Susskind examined a new study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics that examined the connection between tablet use in early childhood and temper tantrums.
The study shows that children’s tablet use at age 3.5 was associated with more outbursts of anger and frustration at age 4.5. Children who were prone to anger and frustration at age 4.5 then used tablets more frequently at age 5.5. According to the study, the results suggest that tablet use in early childhood may contribute to a cycle that is detrimental to emotional development.
“Stuck on a screen”
Parents Emma Boileau and Luke Mohammed Khan spent an afternoon with their three young children at South Olive Park on Tuesday. Emma said: “They watch some TV, but we try to do mostly outdoor activities and play outside as much as possible.”
Luke added: “Sometimes they say, ‘Oh, I want the phone or I want the TV.’ It’s definitely quite difficult to get right.”
Dr. Samantha Saltz is a child psychiatrist in Boca Raton. She says the study doesn’t surprise her.
WPTV
“Kids used to be engaged on the playground and able to be active, but now they’re tied up in front of the screen, they’re not active, they’re sitting at home and not socializing like they should,” she said. “So if they can’t get their emotions out on the playground in a productive, healthy way, they get irritable, angry and frustrated and then lash out at home. So if the child gets angry when you take the screen away from them and keep giving it back to them, they learn that tantrums are actually the way to get what they want back.”
Solutions for parents
So what can parents do? Dr. Saltz advises: First, be realistic in your expectations. Try to cut screen time in half, use countdown clocks, and set a good example for your children by putting away your own device.
WPTV
She also recommends creating a device-free room or zone in your home. If your kids are resisting when tablet time is over, Dr. Saltz says you should make your kids feel like they’re in control.
“We want to do something called forced choice. That is, we want to give our children two options – A or B. We don’t want to negotiate with them. We want to tell them they can go to the playground or play Twister. This makes the child feel like they are making their own decisions, but in reality it is the parent who is making the decision for them.”
Emma and Luke say their children are coping pretty well with the end of screen time, and they hope it stays that way.
“Usually we just turn off the TV and they go about their business. It’s not that hard,” she said.
