FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 26, 2018 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
kids & education
Kids and screens: Not all screen time is created equal
Screen time. You’ve heard the phrase
before, and if you’re a parent, you’ve
probably agonized over creating a screen
time policy for your family. You understandably
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VOTE FOR US!
want a policy that refl ects your
family values, and you also want to consider
your child’s wants, needs and expectations.
Th e American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), a go-to resource for parents on
screen time guidelines, has determined
that not all screen time is created equal.
New research is changing the way parents
look at screen time, and challenging
parents to examine the quality of the
time spent in front of devices. Quality is
especially important when your children
are seeking screen-based entertainment
- games, shows, social media - and this is
where family policies get tricky.
How much online entertainment is too
much? Can there be too little? Th e team at
Star Stable Online - makers of the world’s
most popular online, horse adventure
game - recommends parents get involved
with their children’s online activity, monitor
their online behavior, explore their
favorite games, shows and activities, and
create a family screen policy that is more
than just “hours or minutes.”
Th e conversation around screen time is
less about time and more about active digital
engagement. If you do not recognize
all the activities they’re
enjoying online, this is
a great opportunity to
ask questions and create
a dialogue about
their digital habits. To
help you determine
whether your child is
enjoying quality screen
time, the team at Star
Stable Online recommends
these questions
to get the conversation
started:
• Do you interact with
other kids online?
Th is question helps you determine if
the child is building social skills in a
safe, online environment. Parents must
determine if the game or online activity
promotes positive social and collaborative
play. Star Stable believes collaborative
play, along with a safe environment,
is more benefi cial and inspires kids to
become content creators, not just passive
media consumers.
• Do you solve problems in the game?
Th is question helps you determine
how the child interacts with the game
and what he/she learns from playing.
Determine if your child faces challenges
in an environment that is constantly
changing and expanding, forcing them
to adapt. Find out if they need to use
their best reasoning skills to complete
challenges independently or as a team.
Star Stable believes that unique challenges
that force kids to think outside
the box are preferable to games that
serve up constant repetition.
• What does success look like and how
do you feel when you succeed? Th is line
of questioning helps you determine if
the game is building your child’s personal
character. Does the game include
storylines and activities that promote
responsibility and respect for others?
If your child interacts with other players,
ask how that makes him/her feel
(happy, motivated, helpful or strong).
• Have you learned new vocabulary while
playing the game? Th is question helps
you determine if reading is a big part of
the game or if it’s all visuals. Reading is
a fundamental life skill and any screen
time your child is involved in should
provide an element of age-appropriate
reading. Th is will push your child to
expand their vocabulary and even help
to grow a lifelong love of reading.
• Have you learned anything about
money management? While this seems
like an odd question, screen time solutions
should do more than simply provide
children a way to spend money,
they should teach kids how to manage
money or currency. It’s not a “must”
for all screen time choices, but games or
activities that provide a weekly allowance
certainly help reinforce money
management skills (spend, save and
budget).
Finding the right screen time solution
for your child
Th e screen time debate is no longer a
matter of hours or minutes, but how your
kids are investing time interacting with
a screen. Ultimately, it’s a balancing act
of time and quality that will help your
child build a positive digital footprint and
smart screen time habits that can serve
them their entire life.
Courtesy BPT
/www.stmary.ws
/www.lsfb.org
