An Expert Answers Questions About Screen Time

According to a report released in July 2020 by Pew Research Center, 71% of parents are concerned that their young child may spend too much time looking at phone, computer, or TV screens. To help answers questions about appropriate use of screen time, Forbes turned to Dr. Jennifer Cross, attending pediatrician and a developmental and behavioral pediatrics expert at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, in an article How Much Screen Time is Too Much for Kids?

Dr. Cross offers tips to help parents manage the difficult media landscape. One thing she advises is creating a family media plan. “The principle behind the family media plan is we are doing this as a family,” she explains. “So Mom and Dad don’t sit there on their phones and say ‘you can’t have the phone.’ The parents have to model the behavior for the kid.”

The piece offers the latest guidelines on screen time, as well the risks of too much time in front of screens, and ways to limit children’s time on devices. Dr. Cross, however, understands that it’s a balance and acknowledges that screens are part of our daily lives. “In our culture and society today, it is very difficult to be up-to-date, and watching shows that have informative content might be the best way to learn about something,” says Dr. Cross.

For more insight from Dr. Cross, check out Health Matters’ story What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Children’s Brains?