Forest Hills Families,
Over the last decade, I have become passionate about researching and fighting the negative effects of screentime on children. There is now over a decade's worth of research with supporting evidence that screentime is not only harmful to our children, but has actually rewired children's brains. The book, The Anxious Generation, does a phenomenal job of providing this research along with easy solutions. I would challenge each of you to read or listen to the book! This website also has excellent information and resources. The gist of the book is that we have rewired childhood and created an epidemic of mental illness (anxiety, depression, ADHD, suicide, etc). The author argues that the mass migration into the virtual world has disrupted social and neurological development.
So what can we as parents and educators do? We must fight fiercely and together to reclaim childhood for our kids with 3 easy steps. It's not too late!
1. Roll back the phone-based childhood.
Delay children's access to smart phones until high school and social media platforms until age 16.
2. Restore the play-based childhood.
Give children and adolescents more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility.
3. Reclaim life in the real world.
Replace screen time with real-world experiences involving friends and independent activity, so that limits on devices don’t feel like deprivation but the opening up of a world of opportunities.
As a mom, I can empathize with each of you. Parenting in the age of technology is TOUGH! My kids are typical kids and ask for devices! It is so easy to become trapped in the cycle of excessive screentime, but we MUST guard our children and also hold ourselves accountable as parents. I would challenge each of you to begin monitoring your personal device usage, specifically the time you spend on a screen in front of your children. Instead of scrolling through social media, let's try to commit to engaging our families in activities like board games, building legos, or going outside for a walk.
As you can see, this is a passion of mine, and I want to help families who may be struggling with this issue. If you would like to talk more with me about screentime and ways to help your child, please stop by my office, call or email anytime!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Fowler, Principal
