Children's Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Boundaries and Etiquette

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social NetworkingVol. 23, No. 6 EditorialFree AccessChildren's Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Boundaries and EtiquetteBrenda K. WiederholdBrenda K. WiederholdBrenda K. Wiederhold, Editor-in-Chief Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:4 Jun 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.29185.bkwAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookXLinked InRedditEmail As of April 2020, about 3 billion people worldwide are sheltering at home, and more than 130 countries have enacted restrictions to limit movement of their citizens in hopes of preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1 This has left nearly 90% of students physically cut off from their schools, and technology has become vital to enable children to interact with each other, to access educational materials, and to do what children need to do most: play.For adults, we praise the technological advances that are enabling us to work, engage socially, and live our lives from home, but when it comes to the same for children, we worry. This worry that children may be using screens too much is not without cause. Screen use by children was already on the rise long before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. A 2014 study found that in the United States, children ≤2 years old averaged about 3 hours of screen time daily.2 This was more than double the screen time consumption for the same population in 1997. In addition, a 2019 report from Common Sense Media3 found that 8- to 12-year-olds in the United States use screens for entertainment nearly 5 hours per day, and 13- to 18-year-olds for more than 7 hours per day. This is in addition to further educational usage.Now, with in-person interaction scarce due to the pandemic, children's technology usage has soared beyond even those numbers. In fact, it's nearly doubled. While children of all ages spent, on average, about 3 hours of their days on screens before this crisis, they are now using them for nearly 6 hours.4 For many, the real number is even greater. This sudden and sharp increase has caused concern about the possible detrimental effects of so much screen time on children. Yet, in many cases, this extra screen time might be necessary, whether for educational purposes, social interaction, or as distraction and entertainment that enables the adults in their lives to work.There is a wealth of advice available about how much screen time is too much for children and what types of screen time are detrimental. Yet, much of this advice is not meant for the situation in which we are currently living. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an organization that previously endorsed strict limits on screen time for young children, has recommend rethinking screen time rules in light of the pandemic.5,6 Rather than set strict daily limits on media consumption, the AAP encourages focusing on the type of screen time children are engaged in versus the length of time children spend on them. For example, using screens to video chat and connect with people in their lives is a positive way for children to use screens during this time of social distancing. The AAP also recommends that adults use screens along with younger children, and set clear parameters of where, when, and how older children may use their devices. In addition, they emphasize that screen time should not replace physical activity and sufficient sleep for all. However, we have to do what is practical to survive, and for most of us right now, including children, that means more screen time.If children are going to be using screens more (and this may be useful for the adults who use them too), it may help to put into place some etiquette rules to make navigating social interactions smoother and more enjoyable. Daniel Post Senning, the great-great grandson of Emily Post, has said, “Each generation has to learn the etiquette of its time. A good starting point is to extrapolate what worked in the past and apply it to the new.”7 In pursuit of this, I have compiled some recent expert advice for managing children and their screens.Online: Work on attentive listening skills by encouraging children to be aware of their real-life surroundings while they are interacting virtually.8Foster respect for devices by setting limits on when and where devices are used and what oversight is required to use specific devices or apps. One way to do this is to create a schedule or technology agreement for each child.9,10Set time limits and screen breaks directly on kids' devices.10Talk to children about privacy and tone. For example, not to say or write anything that they wouldn't be okay having shared publicly.9For e-mail:11Craft a clear subject line to help recipients sort and find the e-mail later.Use proper greetings and signatures to help set a respectful tone.Don't include text-speak in formal e-mails, and minimize exclamation points.Don't write in all capital letters, or the recipient will think you are yelling.For Zoom Meetings:12When you are speaking, your eyes should be on the camera, not on the image of yourself. This will give the impression of direct eye contact.Stay focused on the task at hand.Try not to wiggle or fidget.Close the door and find a quiet area.Mind your manners and don't interrupt.Don't play around with filters or backgrounds.Stay muted when you aren't talking.Don't forget to say “hello” and “goodbye!”These rules and guidelines are not meant to be exhaustive, but are instead proposed as a starting point for readying children to take advantage of this newfound—and likely temporary—increase in screen time. By setting the limits and rules that work best for each individual family, adults can help children navigate their screens safely and benefit from the interactions and social connections these devices can foster.References1. UNICEF. Rethinking screen-time in the time of COVID-19. https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/stories/rethinking-screen-time-time-covid-19 (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar2. American Psychological Association. Monitor on psychology. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/2020-04-monitor.pdf (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar3. Rideout V, Robb MB. The Common Sense Census: media use by tweens and teens. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/2019-census-8-to-18-full-report-updated.pdf (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar4. ParentsTogether. Survey shows parents alarmed as kids' screen time skyrockets during COVID-19 crisis. https://parents-together.org/survey-shows-parents-alarmed-as-kids-screen-time-skyrockets-during-covid-19-crisis/?mod=article_inline (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar5. Joyce A. Our screen-time rules don't work in this new world. And maybe that's okay. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/03/25/parents-screen-time-coronavirus/ (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar6. Cross C. Working and learning from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Working-and-Learning-from-Home-During-the-COVID-19-Outbreak.aspx (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar7. Smith N. Emily Post on manners in the digital age. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1488-etiquette-for-digital-age.html (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar8. Our Family Wizard. Basic lessons to teach children about smartphone etiquette. https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/blog/basic-lessons-teach-children-about-smartphone-etiquette (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar9. Wenner Moyer M. Teaching your kids to be safer online: a hasty primer. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/parenting/coronavirus-children-online-etiquette.html (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar10. Jargon J. Parents: don't let the screens win. https://www.wsj.com/articles/dont-let-the-screens-win-11588066203?shareToken=sta442e5b725834d46a6e263f54b48c39c&reflink=article_email_share (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar11. Jargon J. Mind those manners: kids need lessons in email and phone etiquette. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mind-those-manners-kids-need-lessons-in-email-and-phone-etiquette-11581417001 (accessed April 29, 2020). Google Scholar12. Mendoza NF. 13 things to avoid doing on Zoom. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/13-things-to-avoid-doing-on-zoom/ (accessed April 29, 2020). 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Wiederhold.Children's Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Boundaries and Etiquette.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.Jun 2020.359-360.http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.29185.bkwPublished in Volume: 23 Issue 6: June 4, 2020Online Ahead of Print:May 20, 2020PDF download

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