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[deleted] t1_j77mjxf wrote

Reply to comment by hellfae in A new study suggests that too much screen time during infancy may lead to changes in brain activity, as well as problems with executive functioning — the ability to stay focused and control impulses, behaviors, and emotions — in elementary school. by Wagamaga

Non-parent I'm guessing?

Obviously no one is advocating sticking a new born in front of a screen for hours, but if you judge any non-zero amount of screen time for an 18 month old as being so bad that people just shouldn't have children, then you obviously no idea what parenting is like.

edit: Here is an example: I needed to take my 1 year old for a blood test recently and he was very upset as he knows that they are painful. He can't be reasoned with because he doesn't talk yet. I can either completely pin him down to allow blood to be forcibly taken, or put some peppa pig on for 5 mins to calm him and allow the phlebotomist to work. Which do you think is less harmful?

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healthierlurker t1_j79qqz1 wrote

I’m a parent. 5 minutes to get a shot? Sure. But my sons aren’t watching shows until at least 2 and then maybe that will be for 45 minutes a day. My brother’s son isn’t even allowed to look at screens. 1 is too young for TV absent a good reason like a medical procedure.

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cinnam00n7 t1_j77y4dj wrote

There’s nothing wrong with distracting a kid with 5 minutes of screen time at a doctor. OP was most likely referring to parents who constantly rely on screen time to distract their kids bc they don’t have the energy or care to interact with them. Your “non-parent” comment followed by your bad example could imply you are an inadequate parent as you gave such a unique example that happens rarely. I hope you aren’t, but just saying. Kids more than ever are being handed electronic devices because their parents DO NOT have the energy to work full time and raise them “properly”. It is a fault of the system and not on parents. HOWEVER if you are going to be a parent and you know money or time is going to be short you need to be responsible and proactive in deciding when and how many kids to have if any at all. It is becoming increasingly common to see toddlers with ipads at a restaurant completely disengaged with the rest of the family, and most often thats exactly how they are at home too.

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