Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this. Having had the good fortune of raising kids mostly without screens--limited computer and t.v. time, and no reception for early smart phones--I hope the pendulum of digital babysitting will start to swing back in the other direction. Sisyphean, as you say, but sure seems worth trying.
Nice essay. I’ve previously read that even excessive TV watching by adults - particularly news - causes something to happen in your brain. It has something to do with the differences between reading news and watching news. Here is one thing I was able to find:
“The study, published online Nov. 3, 2023, by the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, looked at data on more than 473,000 adults ages 39 to 72 enrolled in the UK Biobank. Researchers tracked participants until either they died; they were diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's, or depression; or the study ended (2018 for some participants, 2021 for others). Participants reported how many hours they spent aside from work either exercising, using a computer, or watching TV.
Compared with people who watched TV for less than an hour each day, participants who reported watching four or more hours of TV daily had a 28% higher risk of dementia, a 35% greater risk of depression, and a 16% higher risk of Parkinson's disease. But people who reported a moderate amount of computer use—30 to 60 minutes per day—appeared to have lower risks of those three conditions compared with participants who reported the lowest levels of computer use.”
I see the deep freeze is really on up there in the US while in Australia they are battling record setting heat and drought. Enjoy your sledding with your daughter Bill. In a few more years she’ll likely be having that fun with a special someone.
I’m so glad my boys were raised before all the electronics. They played with actual toys, boxes, pots & pans, card tables, pillows and blankets and we read books together. My best friend had a lovely, star-shaped bookstore(quite avant-garde at the time)that featured a phenomenal children’s book section that I took full advantage of. I read to them until they could read. There was a six year spread between my boys so my older son would read to his brother too. I was just passing on a tradition and it has worked well for them as adults. Remember when we used to hear, “Reading is fundamental”? It still is.
Who lets an infant watch a computer? I suppose some parents fo it to make reels, but at that age, they move quickly and can get into trouble fast. Plus this is where you establish bonding for life. Do people want their kids thinking that online provides more support than their parents? I really wonder what kind of people these kids are going to be in 20 years.
The 'building a house too quickly' metaphor really landed for me. My nephew is 18 months and when I babysit him, I constantly catch myself reaching for my phone to give him something to look at during meltdowns—it works instantly but now Im wondering what kind of foundation I'm helping to skip. The part about parent-child reading counteracting the effects is encouraging tho, gives you an actual alternative that dosnt feel quite so impossible.
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this. Having had the good fortune of raising kids mostly without screens--limited computer and t.v. time, and no reception for early smart phones--I hope the pendulum of digital babysitting will start to swing back in the other direction. Sisyphean, as you say, but sure seems worth trying.
Nice essay. I’ve previously read that even excessive TV watching by adults - particularly news - causes something to happen in your brain. It has something to do with the differences between reading news and watching news. Here is one thing I was able to find:
“The study, published online Nov. 3, 2023, by the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, looked at data on more than 473,000 adults ages 39 to 72 enrolled in the UK Biobank. Researchers tracked participants until either they died; they were diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's, or depression; or the study ended (2018 for some participants, 2021 for others). Participants reported how many hours they spent aside from work either exercising, using a computer, or watching TV.
Compared with people who watched TV for less than an hour each day, participants who reported watching four or more hours of TV daily had a 28% higher risk of dementia, a 35% greater risk of depression, and a 16% higher risk of Parkinson's disease. But people who reported a moderate amount of computer use—30 to 60 minutes per day—appeared to have lower risks of those three conditions compared with participants who reported the lowest levels of computer use.”
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/too-much-tv-might-be-bad-for-your-brain
I've always thought it was better to read the news than watch it, thanks for the research link to back that up!!
And thanks, Bill, for starting yet another compelling conversation!!!
I see the deep freeze is really on up there in the US while in Australia they are battling record setting heat and drought. Enjoy your sledding with your daughter Bill. In a few more years she’ll likely be having that fun with a special someone.
I’m so glad my boys were raised before all the electronics. They played with actual toys, boxes, pots & pans, card tables, pillows and blankets and we read books together. My best friend had a lovely, star-shaped bookstore(quite avant-garde at the time)that featured a phenomenal children’s book section that I took full advantage of. I read to them until they could read. There was a six year spread between my boys so my older son would read to his brother too. I was just passing on a tradition and it has worked well for them as adults. Remember when we used to hear, “Reading is fundamental”? It still is.
Who lets an infant watch a computer? I suppose some parents fo it to make reels, but at that age, they move quickly and can get into trouble fast. Plus this is where you establish bonding for life. Do people want their kids thinking that online provides more support than their parents? I really wonder what kind of people these kids are going to be in 20 years.
The 'building a house too quickly' metaphor really landed for me. My nephew is 18 months and when I babysit him, I constantly catch myself reaching for my phone to give him something to look at during meltdowns—it works instantly but now Im wondering what kind of foundation I'm helping to skip. The part about parent-child reading counteracting the effects is encouraging tho, gives you an actual alternative that dosnt feel quite so impossible.
Nice essay … I highly recommend as an alternative to screens to get kids a real live, bouncing, fun actual puppy dog pal.
I miss sledding in snowstorms.