Photo: @madebylon via Instagram
One morning last year, at 5?a.m., Patti Barnes woke to a strange rustling noise coming from the main floor of her house. She got out of bed to investigate. Downstairs, she made a startling discovery: Her then five-year-old was sneakily playing Minecraft on the family?s iPad.
Barnes couldn?t believe it. ?I asked her what she was doing,? says the Vancouver mother of five. ?And she told me this wasn?t her first time.? Then and there, Barnes began setting new rules for her kids? screen time?the first of which was no tablets, TV or phones before school.
Managing screen time is becoming an increasingly difficult task for parents. Phones and tablets are always within arm?s reach, streaming services let you watch what you want when you want it, and even things we used to do at a table, like chess or arithmetic, can be done on a device. ?The amount of screen time tends to creep up on you slowly, and kids are very adept at noticing when you?re distracted,? says Barnes. ?You?re busy working or there?s something else you need to do without being badgered every two minutes, so it?s easy to let screens be a babysitter.?
Even the American Academy of Pediatrics is revisiting its screen-time recommendations, acknowledging that we live in a world full of screens. Still, every hour your kid is watching TV or on an iPhone playing video games is an hour he?s not running outside, playing with friends or reading a book.
?If you spend time watching TV, then you?re c...