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Screen Time and Square Eyes
Whilst I was on maternity leave the government guidance on screen time, Screen time guidance for under 5s was published. This included the phrase: ‘Juggling family life and raising children in a digital world can be challenging. Find out more about how to support healthy screen habits for children under 5’. The key points from the guidance are that if your child is under 2 screen time should be mostly avoided and if your child is 2-5 years old you should try to ensure that they have no more than an hour of screen time per day. There is also some screen time guidance for parents, with the suggestion that you should ‘be mindful’ of your own screen usage when with your child/children.
The reasons cited for this and the images provided seem to suggest that too much screen time is bad for children’s brains. I think for some parents there is probably a sense of relief that their concerns with screen time and there attempts at trying to limit this are validated by the government. I am sure others are probably not aware of the guidance at all.
Yet, this is another lot of guidance that is focused on the parents and perhaps another justification for the judgment of ‘bad parenting’. Yet, parents are sold screens of many varieties, phones, T.Vs, laptops, ipads etc. Children may notice that the lives of parents can sometimes revolve around screens because of screen usage when working at home, when communicating with people or when paying bills and using email for a variety of reasons. There are screens specifically marketed for children, such as kids electronic tablets, plus we are inundated with content aimed at children. There are whole franchises (like Disney) which are aimed at entertaining children via screens. For example, a browse of Disney Plus shows me that each Disney film tends to have a duration that exceeds the daily 1 hour screen time limit recommended by this guidance.
There is some brief reference to SEN children within the guidance but screen usage might also depend on different families. I.e., screen time might be useful sometimes within families that are navigating disabilities, single parenthood or the work and childcare juggle. It might also be a bit more difficult to limit screen time if you do not have a garden or have less money to pay for days out or frequently buy toys, books and activities to keep children entertained. We also seem to have a terrible issue within our mainstream culture in that the spaces that we frequent are not very family or child friendly so a screen may be a filler for those missing spaces or missed opportunities to go to the park in the winter as there’s no shelter, toilets and breastfeeding spaces etc.
Whilst growing up in the 90s I remember people telling me that I should not stand to near to the television because I will get ‘square eyes’, it is clear that we have a long standing culture of screen usage. The issue presented leave me to wonder how realistic is it to stick to this blanket style of guidance within our given context. Surely changes that could be made are not just about providing parents with guidance but also creating a better society?
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It’s all about perspective…
Within criminology, and other social science disciplines, the understanding that knowledge is socially constructed and meaning is given to things from people and their interactions is particularly pertinent: especially for researchers involved with people. And ‘perspective’ can be challenging to navigate, challenging to be critical of and challenging to recognise within and outside of a research context. Thinking about the public, the understanding of the nature of knowledge is often taken at face value and not viewed critically; perhaps a skill or requirement which should be part of mainstream education, then again maybe not. Consider the below example, your thoughts and attitudes towards the actors, actions and outcomes… consider your perspective.
A boy begins testing boundaries with his father, he deliberately disobeys him around where he can go and what he can do. He even encourages a friend to join him on his adventures: ducking away from the adult eyes that are watching over them. The boy is told off for putting himself and friend in a dangerous situation, and he appears sincere for his mistakes. Alas, he finds himself in trouble again; this time with dire consequences. The boy’s father dies trying to get him out of trouble. The boy runs away to a place where his past is unknown, and joins a group of outcasts. He grows up into a young man on the fringes of society. He is persuaded to return home, whereby he is involved in a violent fight, which almost results in his death. Luckily, he overcomes his opposition; finding himself with a only a few cuts and bruises. His opponent is forced to flee. He is triumphant, but at what cost?
This is one perspective and overview: from an outsider looking in. There are other ways to describe the example below (which we will come on to), but firstly: what are your thoughts on the young boy and his behaviour? What outcomes are required, if any, and at what stages of this boy’s life? Is this something which requires support, love and care or surveillance, control and discipline?
Another way of looking at the above scenario is to watch the Lion King (1994).1 The young boy in question is Simba. Maybe you already spotted that, maybe you aren’t familiar with the story or perspectives the film is told by. Perspectives matter….
- For those less familiar with Disney animations, the themes are also apparent within Shakespeare’s Hamlet (c. 1600). ↩︎
