The Huffington Post

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I'm A Psychologist – We Need To Talk About Screen Time And 'Displacement'

Psychologists and experts in child development are increasingly in agreement that not all screen time is equal. Government guidance shared earlier this year suggests slow-paced content is better for development than fast-paced, social media-style videos. Similarly, watching TV or using screens together – and then talking, asking questions and engaging with the content – is considered better than solo use. If you’re still scratching your head about whether your child’s screen time is too high, Dr Sasha Hall , a senior educational and child psychologist, told HuffPost UK that the idea of “displacement” is one of the most useful ways to understand the impact on children’s development. What is ‘displacement’? This is where screen use starts to encroach on, or replace, other aspects of a child’s life which are crucial to healthy development – sleep, outdoor play, movement, face-to-face interaction, imaginative play or simply learning to tolerate boredom. It might be that your child’s social media scrolling is seeping into the early hours and stopping them from waking up fresh for school, or their gaming time is getting in the way of time spent outdoors or moving on the weekends. Perhaps they’re becoming absorbed in iPad screens at dinner and it’s getting in the way of conversation. Once this starts to happen, “it becomes much more concerning,” said Dr Hall. This is not a new area of thinking. In 2017, Professor Sonia Livingstone and Alicia Blum-Ross acknowledged that parents could use set screen time rules “as a rod with which to beat themselves”. Rather than watching the screen time clock, they suggested parents observe their kids and consider whether they are: Eating and sleeping enough? Physically healthy? Connecting socially with friends and family – through technology or otherwise? Engaged in school? Enjoying and pursuing hobbies and interests – through technology or beyond? If the answer to all or most of these is “yes’” they’re likely balancing screen time pretty well. Patricia Prudente on Unsplash " />If screen time begins to encroach on sleep, movement, social interactions, it might be time to intervene. Do screen time recommendations matter, then? If, as parents, we’re keeping an eye on the quality of our children’s screen time as well as “displacement” of other crucial activities, does that mean we need to still pay heed to daily screen time recommendations? Per UK guidance, under-twos should avoid screen time other than for shared activities that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation (ie. FaceTiming family), while two- to five-year-olds should stick to no more than one hour of screen time a day. The government is also currently working on screen time guidance for parents of children aged between five and 16. Dr Hall thinks we should still be sticking to these recommendations. “The reason organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) continue to provide age-based guidance is that young children’s development depends on experiences that screens cannot fully replace,” she said. “In the early years, children learn through movement, exploration, play, relationships and interaction with the real world. Time spent on screens is, by definition, time not spent doing something else.” The WHO recommends no sedentary screen time for children under two, and for children aged two to four years old, no more than one hour a day. “These recommendations are not based on the idea that screens are inherently harmful, but on the understanding that young children need sufficient time for the experiences that drive healthy development,” said Dr Hall. Rather than asking whether screens are good or bad, the psychologist suggested parents might want to ask: What is this screen use providing? And what might it be replacing? She ended: “For most families, I would still encourage clear limits around screen use, particularly in early childhood. “The goal is not perfection, but ensuring that screens do not crowd out the play, connection, movement, sleep and everyday experiences that children need to thrive.” Related... The Humour Style Psychologists Think Is Linked To Better Ageing 7-7-7 Parenting Rule Could Reduce Attention-Seeking Behaviour, Says Psychologist I’m A Psychologist – What Teens Told Me About How They're Using AI Chatbots Should Terrify You

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