Nearly all parents want to limit their kids' screen time, but many seem tired of hearing how electronics are ruining their children's time during the pandemic.
How Screen Time During the Pandemic Has Affected Our Kids
The latest flashpoint in the kids vs. screens debate was a recent New York Times article criticizing kids’ increasing use of gadgets. One quoted expert warned that kids would face “addiction withdrawal” from their electronics once they emerged from lockdown. Many parents, however, aren’t buying the finger-pointing.
“Online is their only way to socialize with friends (Zoom, Houseparty, etc.),” Kristin Wallace, a Boston mother of a 10-year-old and a 6-year-old, said in an email interview. “It gives me time to get stuff done, since we can’t have nannies and sitters anymore. They’re with me 24/7, and I have to get stuff done, too. Sometimes I just need a break, and screen time keeps them occupied.”
It’s not that parents haven’t gotten the message that too much screen time is bad for kids. They’ve read about the studies linking screen time to everything from increased obesity to increased anxiety in children.
