Anyone born into this world will grow up very familiar with screens in all sizes and shapes. They will most likely be holding one from infancy and will become very aware of all its functions amazingly quickly. They will not only learn through . . .

touching it on their own but also through watching those they love interact with it. This is a fact of life. This is what life has become. We work on screens, we socialize on screens, we shop on screens, we network on screens and we have entertainment on screens and lastly, we have them with us all the time.

I can’t say that I think our generation is doing it right. In my opinion the switch from a real social world to a screen social world is a move away from reality. I try to remember a time before I had a phone stuck in my hand and honestly it’s foggy. It feels way too long ago.

Remembering my childhood, my parents had other distractions. They had the TV, friends, jobs, chores and the rest of the regular life things we have. The thing is, they didn’t have this device buzzing in their hand every minute – they didn’t have this thing making them tell me, “Just a minute Shelley.” Are we better off now or were we better off then? Whatever we think, time isn’t going to stop and go backwards. It’s up to us to dictate what role screens will have in our lives and our children’s lives.

As parents it’s our own decision to think through how we introduce screens to our children. There are millions of studies out there for us to read and dissect. One study might say that children can have an hour of screen time a day while still others will say no screen time until age two (say what?). This is not my place to dictate or judge anyone’s practices or choices. I’m simply highlighting how important a job we still have. It is still our choice to decide how much screen time is good for our children. It is our responsibility to set the limits we believe are appropriate for our children no matter the age. The things we can find online are endless. Some are really great and educational while others are a little scarier.

Here’s some food for thought — when you really sit down and think about it, what has screen time replaced in our children’s lives? What might they do more of if they didn’t have access to screens all the time? Children use to use their imaginations to invent games. They would dress up and put on shows, play outside for an endless amount of time, read books, write stories, create amazing things with art supplies and network with kids in their neighbourhoods. Our kids should be exercising their minds in all of these ways now when their minds are still developing and being formed. Instead, they are sitting and watching screens for frighteningly long periods of time.

However you use screens in your home, I hope this article serves as something to think about. I respect that all of us are different parents with different views on so many topics – in the end we are all doing the best we can for our children.

by Shelley Heaphy