Who funded this research, or indirectly the institution/s behind the research. I wish this declaration was labelled under the heading for all research. I’m jaded though.
No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
61–70 of 119 posts
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#62Not all screen time is equal. Though, all screen time may have negative consequences. My third grade son spends time daily on typing and Khan Academy (iMac). He spends an additional few minutes reading about sports (public school issued iPad). His video game exposure is quite limited. Though I have a PS5, he rarely plays it (once per week, perhaps – of course Madden and MLB The Show). He spends a lot of time either a…
It isn’t obvious to me why you think iPhones and iPads have retarded some of the cohort? Can you expand on the causality of it and what ages are you referring to ?
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#63Dubious at best. If one has children they notice quite visibly that screen time makes their children more agitated during the days they have screen time. And screen time is as addictive to children as it is to adults, and we should consider the effects they have on their developing brains.
When science doesn't match your personal observations, that doesn't make the science wrong. It also doesn't make your personal observations wrong - it usually (in my experience) means that you're measuring/observing different things (assuming you're reasonably intelligent, which I am doing). In this case, "cognitive development and well being" are complex concepts that probably do not map exactly (or maybe even gross…
And of course, talking about all of this as if 'screen time' is all the same is _insane_. Anyone that thinks watching youtubers screech at each other for hours is equivalent (for the purposes of mental development) to watching an adapted Broadway musical has not put any thought into the topic, and that's entirely setting aside the topic of interactive vs passive entertainment being lumped together..
But hopefully the strategy of "just let the kids blend it all together and hope it washes out in the statistics" is a good enough method -.-
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#64Does this factor in the impact of constant instant-gratification of whatever is done on that screen? Because (subjectively) I can see how children with lots of screen-time have a harder time with activities which do not lead to immediate dopamine release, like reading, listening to a story, drawing, etc., while children with low/no screen-time can derive satisfaction already from the process of doing something. -- Ed…
Children and everyone else … I can’t watch a movie anymore without either reading something or playing chess at the same time just to up the frequency of those hits.
Indeed. I guess measurement of your "brain function or well-being" might not show any difference, but the way you perceive those activities might have changed completely.
I have a similar observation regarding Movies. Funny how this can be improved by watching a movie in cinema, a purpose of cinema which silently grows while the original purpose of "better audio/video experience" is fading...
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#65Does this factor in the impact of constant instant-gratification of whatever is done on that screen? Because (subjectively) I can see how children with lots of screen-time have a harder time with activities which do not lead to immediate dopamine release, like reading, listening to a story, drawing, etc., while children with low/no screen-time can derive satisfaction already from the process of doing something. -- Ed…
Children and everyone else … I can’t watch a movie anymore without either reading something or playing chess at the same time just to up the frequency of those hits.
But why is that so bad? Movies retell the same story with the same beats over and over again. I think we should be more concerned about people who can focus on something repetitive for extended periods. What's wrong with them?
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#66A few kids in my 8yo son's class don't use screens. No TVs, phones, games, etc. Others are already binge watching StarWars, Minecraft, etc. The differences between these 2 groups are enormous in terms of their play, their attention during lessons, their overall academic achievements. I will never believe a study telling me that spending 2 hours watching star wars is better for a kid than going to build a fort in the…
You're assuming causality, and assuming less screen time would mean screen time would be replaced by activities you see as better.
One possible reason why that logic might not hold might e.g. simply be that restrictions on screen time might correlate with more involved parents.
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Are you, as we speak, conducting a double blind, properly controlled and sampled study of juvenile cognitive development and device exposure The study you are defending is not blinded, controlled, or randomly sampled. Use your brain for a second instead of reacting instinctively. Do you really think this oneoff paper was the result of a 10-year longitudinal study? In fact, the hypothetical study you are describing…
There's a great deal of irony of this criticism coming from someone claiming to know better than this study while providing nothing to back up your dismissal.
I dismiss this study because I have children and I am not a moron.
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#68Dubious at best. If one has children they notice quite visibly that screen time makes their children more agitated during the days they have screen time. And screen time is as addictive to children as it is to adults, and we should consider the effects they have on their developing brains.
> If one has children they notice quite visibly that screen time makes their children more agitated during the days they have screen time. I have children and the relationship is much more complicated with them. There is a danger in overgeneralization from anecdotal evidence. > we should consider the effects they have on their developing brains. Strange line to use dismissing research into that exact topic.
> There is a danger in overgeneralization from anecdotal evidence.
There is, and there is likewise the danger of overgeneralizing from scientific studies. That is, even if the study has been conducted without error, we must correctly understand what the measurements used were, how they relate to observable phenomena, and what they entail. A study may make a very modest claim about something really quite specific, but it is easy to misinterpret the actual results and overinfer what they entail.
Ergo, it may very well be the case that the OP has observed increased agitation with screen time, and this need not contradict the study, and vice versa.
But we must always remember that what is observed takes precedence. If you observe a genuine correlation between screen time and misbehavior personally, it makes more sense to go with what you have observed rather than the study. To quote Chico Marx facetiously, "Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?".
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#69Does this factor in the impact of constant instant-gratification of whatever is done on that screen? Because (subjectively) I can see how children with lots of screen-time have a harder time with activities which do not lead to immediate dopamine release, like reading, listening to a story, drawing, etc., while children with low/no screen-time can derive satisfaction already from the process of doing something. -- Ed…
Children and everyone else … I can’t watch a movie anymore without either reading something or playing chess at the same time just to up the frequency of those hits.
Two thoughts:
- watching a move is screen time
- movies aren’t as captivating anymore
Re: No evidence screen time is negative for child cognitive development, well-being
#70Dubious at best. If one has children they notice quite visibly that screen time makes their children more agitated during the days they have screen time. And screen time is as addictive to children as it is to adults, and we should consider the effects they have on their developing brains.
I can cite plenty of anecdotal evidence of what seems to be addiction. Major temper tantrums and hyperventilating when screens are taken away. Not to mention, zoning out for an hour or two watching unboxing videos or whatever on YouTube.
> I can cite plenty of anecdotal evidence of what seems to be addiction. Major temper tantrums and hyperventilating when screens are taken away.
But might kids who never had access to screens react similarly if you took away their prized Legos, comic books, bike, art supplies, or other immersive toy? It doesn't seem like dramatic temper tantrums over losing a prized activity are new,and neither do obsessions over objects or activities.