Giving young children screens all the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the worst generation of parents. I cannot believe the number of young children I see staring at a screen in grocery stores, parks, restaurants and more. They are literally damaging their kids’ brains but they’re too lazy to do the job.

They aren’t damaging their brains but the kids are missing out on important stages of development. These are perfect places to watch people interacting, talking to people, looking around at the world.

I was in line at Starbucks and there was a three year old in front of me. I was taking apart this three part plastic cup, taking the straw out, taking the middle part out, reversing the straw, getting it ready to use. This three year old never took his eyes off of what I was doing. It was a couple of minutes and I never saw such intense observation on a mundane happening. That was a kid who will have no adhd and he probably doesn’t use iPads or anything. When I was done he went back to seeing what his mother was doing.

That’s a kewl story

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

DP. I think you underestimate screen time use in young kids.

I didn't estimate screen time use in young kids, so I couldn't possible have underestimated it. I said every parent I know limits screen time use in some way. I didn't say how much screen time use they allow. That was in response to comment indicating parents are letting their kids "constantly be on screens". A parent might allow 2 hours of screen time a day which is a lot, but it also means they are not on a screen from 3:30pm through bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

DP. I think you underestimate screen time use in young kids.

I didn't estimate screen time use in young kids, so I couldn't possible have underestimated it. I said every parent I know limits screen time use in some way. I didn't say how much screen time use they allow. That was in response to comment indicating parents are letting their kids "constantly be on screens". A parent might allow 2 hours of screen time a day which is a lot, but it also means they are not on a screen from 3:30pm through bedtime.

There are many parents who do let their kids use screens from 3:30 to bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm guilty of defaulting to an iPad as a babysitter from time to time, but my kid is happy, has friends, scores in the 99th percentile on MAP tests, and plays multiple sports. They've also learned a lot of random but cool stuff on YouTube Kids, especially interesting science. It's not ideal, but probably not much worse than the bad TV I watched in the 90s.

There’s a difference between occasionally handing your kid the iPad as a babysitter and letting them constantly be on screens.

The vast majority of parents are not "letting them constantly be on screens." Every single parent I know works hard to limit screens in some way. Some more than others but nobody I know has zero limits.

DP. I think you underestimate screen time use in young kids.

I didn't estimate screen time use in young kids, so I couldn't possible have underestimated it. I said every parent I know limits screen time use in some way. I didn't say how much screen time use they allow. That was in response to comment indicating parents are letting their kids "constantly be on screens". A parent might allow 2 hours of screen time a day which is a lot, but it also means they are not on a screen from 3:30pm through bedtime.

There are many parents who do let their kids use screens from 3:30 to bedtime.

I'm sure there are, and there are also "many" who do not.

[Anonymous]

With my oldest, I was very good about screens. I engaged with him, I very consciously helped him learn independent play, and after he turned 2, I let him watch about 10-15min a day- like, one Daniel Tiger storyline as a treat after dinner. Then when he was 3.5, I gave birth to my twins, and suddenly there was one of me, two infants, and a preschooler who only went to school three days a week for 2.5 hours a day. My preschooler started getting closer to an hour of screens a day- but still just Daniel Tiger or a similar cartoon, played on the TV (no tablet). Then covid came, and I was helping my kindergartner navigate virtual kindergarten entirely on a chromebook and I had twin 2 year olds who had the energy level of twin tornados and there were not any preschools that were open for me to send them to to get a break. And my kindergartner needed me to help him learn to read and write, and my twins were off the chain and we couldn't even go anywhere. So that's when the tablets came in. And now it's a habit! We aren't as bad as the parents some of you are describing but yeah, honestly, those twins are now first graders and they come home from school and want to play mario kart or want to watch the lego movie and that's what they are used to. I don't say yes every day obviously. But they are NOT good at independent play and they spent a great part of their early years with a mom who was frazzled, teaching kindergarten on a stupid laptop to a crying 6 year old, and begging them to quiet down just for a few minutes and letting them watch Blippi on my phone so my older kid could unmute his stupid laptop and read his sentence aloud to the class or whatever.

Yes this was years ago! But the habits linger and they become hard to break. That's all I'm saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With my oldest, I was very good about screens. I engaged with him, I very consciously helped him learn independent play, and after he turned 2, I let him watch about 10-15min a day- like, one Daniel Tiger storyline as a treat after dinner. Then when he was 3.5, I gave birth to my twins, and suddenly there was one of me, two infants, and a preschooler who only went to school three days a week for 2.5 hours a day. My preschooler started getting closer to an hour of screens a day- but still just Daniel Tiger or a similar cartoon, played on the TV (no tablet). Then covid came, and I was helping my kindergartner navigate virtual kindergarten entirely on a chromebook and I had twin 2 year olds who had the energy level of twin tornados and there were not any preschools that were open for me to send them to to get a break. And my kindergartner needed me to help him learn to read and write, and my twins were off the chain and we couldn't even go anywhere. So that's when the tablets came in. And now it's a habit! We aren't as bad as the parents some of you are describing but yeah, honestly, those twins are now first graders and they come home from school and want to play mario kart or want to watch the lego movie and that's what they are used to. I don't say yes every day obviously. But they are NOT good at independent play and they spent a great part of their early years with a mom who was frazzled, teaching kindergarten on a stupid laptop to a crying 6 year old, and begging them to quiet down just for a few minutes and letting them watch Blippi on my phone so my older kid could unmute his stupid laptop and read his sentence aloud to the class or whatever.

Yes this was years ago! But the habits linger and they become hard to break. That's all I'm saying.

But teachers told us kids are resilient so your story is clearly completely implausible s/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a family whose child is constantly wanting an iPad, tv, video game, iPhone. The kid can’t eat without watching a video. As soon as we sit down, the kid says he is bored and is asking for a screen. When they have play dates, kids all play on their iPads. When we go to their home, my child is the only one not on a screen. Kids are age 8. My kid is age 9.

Is this just lazy parenting to just allow kids to be on screens all the time???

OP, are you self-aware enough to recognize that you are getting your entertainment by posting online (screen use) about how other people are raising their kids (judgment and drama)?

You’d be better off (and definitely a better person) if you just watched a show or a movie instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a family whose child is constantly wanting an iPad, tv, video game, iPhone. The kid can’t eat without watching a video. As soon as we sit down, the kid says he is bored and is asking for a screen. When they have play dates, kids all play on their iPads. When we go to their home, my child is the only one not on a screen. Kids are age 8. My kid is age 9.

Is this just lazy parenting to just allow kids to be on screens all the time???

OP, are you self-aware enough to recognize that you are getting your entertainment by posting online (screen use) about how other people are raising their kids (judgment and drama)?

You’d be better off (and definitely a better person) if you just watched a show or a movie instead.

NP. It's good to judge bad parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the worst generation of parents. I cannot believe the number of young children I see staring at a screen in grocery stores, parks, restaurants and more. They are literally damaging their kids’ brains but they’re too lazy to do the job.

I don't think they are lazy at all. Maybe misguided, but they are trying to keep the kids from possibly being obnoxious, loud, and messy. It's also so common now and the more you see it, the more it becomes normalized.
My uneducated opinion is that it can't be good for development. But I did learn that gamers make excellent flight controllers.

[Anonymous]

In 2024, caregivers reported that children age 8 and younger spent roughly the same amount of time with screen media as they did in 2020 (2:27 vs. 2:24 daily). Screen time varies significantly by age: Children under 2 years old average one hour and three minutes daily, and 2- to 4-year-olds spend two hours and eight minutes. Those age 5 to 8 use screens for about three and a half hours daily (3:28).

Boys spend over 30 minutes more on screen media each day than girls (2:38 vs. 2:07). This includes more time watching television and videos (1:36 vs. 1:19) and playing video games (:45 vs. :29).

Screen use also differs by income and ethnicity. Children from households earning less than $50,000 per year spend twice as much time with screen media as those from households earning $100,000 or more per year (3:48 vs. 1:52).

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2025-common-sense-census-web-2.pdf

[Anonymous]

I remember my best friend and I used to walk with our toddlers in strollers. Hers was always holding her phone watching YouTube and mine was pointing and babbling at whatever he saw. They’re 11 now. Her son is a super popular athlete, constantly on his phone with friends, has a “girlfriend” and also suffers from depression. My son seems much, much younger than hers. He’s not very athletic but enjoys practicing sports, being outside, playing with things like Legos and making stuff. He has only a few friends.
We both probably think we are parenting better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up watching TV all the time in the late 90s - early 2000s and I turned out fine as an adult.

Not the same. At all.

Agreed. I teach kindergarten and the longest attention span for any kid’s movie is about 15 minutes. Kids can’t even get halfway through a Disney or kid’s movie anymore. They can’t follow a plot. They rarely read for fun. I’ve had grades 3-5 in the after school program for years and hardly anyone wants to borrow my books anymore. It’s sad.

I found that taking away my kid's iPad helped her behavior and attention a ton. Have you considered not using screens in your classroom for a day to see what happens?

As far as reading, the kids aren't borrowing books and don't like reading because they haven't properly learned to read due to poor choices by school district leaders and the education sector. I know it is tempting and fun to bash parents though.

They watch movies during indoor recess. Teachers aren’t on duty then so we aren’t choosing to put them on. We don’t use screens much. It takes forever to get kids logged on.

Our students read well for the most part but they have little to no desire to do it. Nearly every student in my after school group reads at or above grade level but they say they’d rather play on their tablet than read at home.

[Anonymous]

MYOB. There's no right answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up watching TV all the time in the late 90s - early 2000s and I turned out fine as an adult.

Not the same. At all.

Agreed. I teach kindergarten and the longest attention span for any kid’s movie is about 15 minutes. Kids can’t even get halfway through a Disney or kid’s movie anymore. They can’t follow a plot. They rarely read for fun. I’ve had grades 3-5 in the after school program for years and hardly anyone wants to borrow my books anymore. It’s sad.

I found that taking away my kid's iPad helped her behavior and attention a ton. Have you considered not using screens in your classroom for a day to see what happens?

As far as reading, the kids aren't borrowing books and don't like reading because they haven't properly learned to read due to poor choices by school district leaders and the education sector. I know it is tempting and fun to bash parents though.

They watch movies during indoor recess. Teachers aren’t on duty then so we aren’t choosing to put them on. We don’t use screens much. It takes forever to get kids logged on.

Our students read well for the most part but they have little to no desire to do it. Nearly every student in my after school group reads at or above grade level but they say they’d rather play on their tablet than read at home.

Jfc is this common in schools? In K at my school they have children play with toys indoors during recess

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up watching TV all the time in the late 90s - early 2000s and I turned out fine as an adult.

Not the same. At all.

Agreed. I teach kindergarten and the longest attention span for any kid’s movie is about 15 minutes. Kids can’t even get halfway through a Disney or kid’s movie anymore. They can’t follow a plot. They rarely read for fun. I’ve had grades 3-5 in the after school program for years and hardly anyone wants to borrow my books anymore. It’s sad.

I found that taking away my kid's iPad helped her behavior and attention a ton. Have you considered not using screens in your classroom for a day to see what happens?

As far as reading, the kids aren't borrowing books and don't like reading because they haven't properly learned to read due to poor choices by school district leaders and the education sector. I know it is tempting and fun to bash parents though.

They watch movies during indoor recess. Teachers aren’t on duty then so we aren’t choosing to put them on. We don’t use screens much. It takes forever to get kids logged on.

Our students read well for the most part but they have little to no desire to do it. Nearly every student in my after school group reads at or above grade level but they say they’d rather play on their tablet than read at home.

Jfc is this common in schools? In K at my school they have children play with toys indoors during recess

Depends on the age of the teacher. Older teachers will have a toy collection and then sing the clean up song when it’s time for the kids to put them away. Fresh out of college teachers are putting on youtube on the smart board. Its basically a perfect correlation with age.