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Dinner is nearly prepared and you want to make sure your kids are ready to eat. “Two more minutes, then we’re turning the iPad off,” you say loudly from the kitchen, mentally patting yourself on the back for thinking ahead and being fair.
Unfortunately, a new study suggests this common?and seemingly logical?parenting strategy may not be your best play to avoid toddler tantrums when taking away their screens.
Researchers at the University of Washington examined how families manage screen time for preschoolers. They based their data on interviews with 27 parents as well as diaries kept by 28 additional families. Nearly all of the parents who participated, some 93 percent, said that their kids at least occasionally throw tantrums when screens are taken away. More than a third reported the transition almost always ends with conflict. No surprises there. Where the study really gets interesting is in its examination of how parents try to mitigate or avoid skirmishes when screens are taken away. The data suggests our instinctual urge to use a warning?such as telling kids they have two more minutes, or that they can watch just one more video?may not actually have the desired effect of mentally preparing them to peaceably switch off their devices. In fact, only five participants reported they felt confident this practice improved transitions from screens to other activities. Most of the parents were unsure how effective this tactic really is, ...