My 6yo likes to see TV however if I limit her she does not complain much and do other things instead (mostly wondering around at home finding random activities, nothing "special"). I wonder if allowing her more screen time (she likes kids tv shows) would be better for her developmentally?
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Welcome! :) Screen time is often asked about on this site. The related questions in the sidebar may be helpful, particularly Is there any scientific evidence for TV being intrinsically harmful to children, or is it the loss of what TV replaces that is harmful? and Any Research on the Effects of Mobile/Cellphone Usage on Childhood Development?. If you still wonder if more might be better, please edit to explain why that might be so for your child in particular. and flag for review. Thanks! – anongoodnurse Oct 10 '22 at 15:01
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Please note that your question is not a bad one, and was not closed for that reason. You've been directed to research-oriented Q/A. The answer isn't cut and dry. There may be a reason more screen time is better for your daughter, but the specifics of the situation would need to be known. – anongoodnurse Oct 10 '22 at 15:13
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The advice my mother had when I was small was to not do zero screens and to make sure I had seen enough TV to get the cultural references in the playground. (as an asside, my mother somewhat failed at this, and I distinctly recall having zero idea who the 'spice girls' were when that became the new game to play!) If she's not feeling left out, I wouldn't try to get her to watch more.
Boredom on the other hand is meant to be good for the imagination (this was this first hit to come up forbes - why neuroscientists say boredom is good for your brain's health so all that "finding random activities" is probably better for her developmentally than more TV!
R Davies
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In all honesty, less screen time is usually better then more when it's purely watching.
Interactive screen time like simple games on the other hand can actually help her develop better problem solving skills or even language skills because this would "Force" her to understand what she is reading/hearing.
There are shows who do this like Dora The Explorer, and also a lot of tablet/pc games that can fill the slot.
With just regular TV it's more or less a bit of a time killer.
A.bakker
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The picture that has emerged suggests that the youngest children don’t learn well from screens. As kids get older, they can learn meaningful information from screens, but the ubiquity of digital devices also means that children can easily spend far too much time being sedentary. Nevertheless, total abstinence from recreational screen time may backfire for older kids and teens.
Per https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/cover-kids-screens
There is lots of good information on that site, but most of it boils down to less screentime is better. If you have a kid that isn't addicted to screens, cherish that.
Robin Clower
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