Screen time is an obsolete concept.

I love being inspired by brilliant thinking; especially when succinctly stated and impactful. The statement “Screen time is an obsolete concept” was stated by Alicia Blum-Ross and Sonia Livingstone on their website “Parenting for a Digital Future” and further elaborated in their latest Media Policy Brief. (If you don’t know about Alicia and Sonia’s leading work in this area, click here.)

Let’s unpack their statement and I’ll share why I think the point is so brilliant. Clearly, screens have not gone away, so it’s not the screens that are obsolete. It’s the focus on time. For years, concerns about children’s media use was assessed by how much time children spent consuming media. From the 1950’s through the 1990’s, this counting of hours was focused on television. Four hours a day lead to assessments of five hours a day, to six…and more. But when we started watching TV through other devices, and started using apps and playing video games, etc., the hours spent “watching” TV weren’t reflecting the total number of hours kids engaged with media. At that time, researchers and others shifted to using the term “screen time” as a more all-encompassing term. This was deemed a more accurate reflection on one’s total engagement with media. But as the hours of engagement continue to climb, getting a reliable total feels almost impossible. So much of children’s lives (our lives) are spent using some kind of computer or screen, the mere counting of hours can no longer be relied upon as a valid assessment tool for concern. (…if it ever could) Alicia and Sonia’s point is that the emphasis on screen “time” is misleading. They argue that:

“…this long-held focus on the quantity of digital media use is now obsolete, and that parents should instead ask themselves and their children questions about screen context (where, when and how digital media are accessed) content (what is being watched or used), and connections (whether and how relationships are facilitated or impeded).”

Context. Content. Connections.

This makes sense to me. Engagement with media can’t simply be determined “worth it” or not based on how many hours a child has already consumed that day. What TV show is he/she watching? What game is he/she playing? Playing alone? Or with a parent or trusted adult? Or his/her friends? Is this for homework? Or play? To be honest, if I’m awake around sixteen hours a day, I bet I’m engaged with a screen for a major portion of those hours. Here’s a list of the ways I typically engage with screens on a daily basis.

Working out in the morning with a DVD

Checking out TV news for morning updates

Prepping for teaching with online computer research

Writing using a computer, checking online frequently for research

Going online while teaching a class to illustrate a point to students

Checking my smartphone for messages (text, email, social media) numerous times a day

Listening to music on the way home through a music app

Finding movie times for going out that night

Calling or Facetiming with my husband to set up plans

Watching a movie (in an actual movie theater!-- or could be home)

Checking DVR for a few minutes of a missed show

Getting a news update (online or TV)

Reading an e-book before sleeping

OK, now that I’ve divulged this personal information for all the world to see, I really hope your list basically looks the same. It does, right? My point is, if my media use looks like that, and I’m an over-50 adult, I can’t be surprised when a young person’s use is more or less the same as mine. Higher in some places (social media, texting, gaming), lower in others (news consumption, research). But however the individual pieces are noted, both reflect hours of screen time. Let’s consider the context, content, and connections. A high number of the items on my list are done with other people, actively engaged with me, talking, laughing, learning. Often in the same room. Sometimes communicating virtually. The list has a mix of work-related screen time and several items connected to my personal life; some of it focuses on learning new information, some of it on entertainment.

For arguments sake, I intentionally created an example of a day that reflected typical, but high amounts of screen time. I also have days where my screen time includes about half of the example list, maybe less. But if I’m honest, most days I do spend a chunk of time on my computer (like right now), and I do enjoy engaging with media with my family and friends.

My problem with the “screen time” assessment has always been that it doesn’t take the individual person or child into account, nor the child’s family. Guidance on screen time can be helpful, but too often it comes laden with guilt for those who don’t match up. When the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with advice several years ago that kids should have no screen time before age 2, their advice did little more than lump guilt on millions of working parents. The organization has since modified that position slightly, but only slightly. It seems to me that considering WHY a child is engaged with a screen, for HOW long, with WHOM and WHAT type of screen media, are all equally important considerations.

I have the opportunity to talk with parents often about their children’s media use, and my goal is always to encourage them to be thoughtful about their choices. Too often, screen media is turned on (or left on) without thought, it’s ritualistic engagement. But if your family (intentionally) decides it wants to do a marathon screening of Harry Potter movies, go at it! President Clinton even shared that he binged watched all Police Academy movies with Chelsea when she was little.

To be clear, I’m not advocating unlimited screen time, so long as the context and content are appropriate. For most, a joyful life is made up of many different experiences and we should strive for that for our children too. Time with friends and family. Time alone. Time indoors. Time outdoors. Time learning or working. Time kicking back.

One of the reasons I find myself returning often to Alicia and Sonia’s work on Parenting for a Digital Future and their Media Policy Briefs, is because the information conveys an understanding of how real parents live and how real kids interact with media. They talk to a lot of kids and parents. And the information strikes a balance between concerns about the ways in which media use can be detrimental to kids, and the ways in which it can and does enrich their lives. Their approach recognizes the full scope of stakeholders in this quest; parents, yes, but also policy makers, educators, and the media industry and media creators.

When should we be concerned about too much screen time? The report recommends asking the following questions:

· Is he/she eating and sleeping enough?

· Is he/she physically healthy

· Is he/she connecting socially with friends and family – through technology or otherwise

· Is he/she engaged in school?

· Is he/she enjoying and pursuing hobbies and interests – through technology or beyond?

If the answer is ‘yes” or ‘mostly yes” for your child, “then perhaps the problem of ‘screen time’ is less dramatic than many parents have been led to believe.”

Brilliant.