When it comes to screen time, parents are poor role models for kids

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Fri, 2017-02-03 02:00
Most people can agree that too much screen time is bad for kids. It’s bad for adults too, but that is not often talked about. Doctors and specialists often talk about limiting screen time on phones, tablets, and of course television but it can be hard to do. It is especially difficult for children to learn to limit their screen time when parents don’t seem to ever limit theirs.

“While many parents worry about how much time their children spend glued to computers, tablets and televisions, a new study reveals the adults themselves spend more than nine hours a day in front of screens. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, about parental hypocrisy over media use, different cultural perspectives toward technology and ensuring screen-free time”.

In this article you will read all about the effects of parental screen time on the minds of children. They learn by watching, watching their parents. When they see their parents on their phones and televisions they copy that behavior. There are many ways to get children off of their screens and into books or other hobbies. It’s important for both kids and parents to limit their time in front of a screen and kids will copy what you do.
Now there’s a new survey that finds their parents have some of the same habits. The study, which asked for feedback from 1,700 parents of children age 8 to 18, found adults spending more than nine hours a day themselves looking at video screens.
~ PBS NewsHour

Key Takeaways:

1
A new study discovered that parents spend as much as 9 hours a day looking at video screens.
2
Despite this startling statistic, nearly 80% of parents felt they were good role models to their children in regard to screen usage.
3
Latinos are twice more concerned about their children’s computer use than whites, Asian-American, or African American parents.
Read the full article here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/when-it-comes-screen-time-parents-are-poor-role-models-kids