The Effects of Screen Time on the Young Child

Welcome to a new episode of the We Nurture Podcast! Today on Mindful Monday, I will be chatting about the effects of screen time on our young ones. I'll open a dialogue around why screen time should be limited for younger children. I'll talk about how I raised my children, the research and resources I used, and the methods of observations that better equipped me to create and maintain a screen-free home. While acknowledging that this is a difficult task, I'll give advice, tips, and powerful questions to ask ourselves which will help listeners to better observe and perceive the ways children behave and interact when having screen time. From understanding important cognitive, sensory, and physiological nervous system developments in our children, to the power of boredom and nature, I talk about how to take on the challenge of minimizing screen time in your homes to improve all aspects of your child's life. I'll talk about how chronic stress, overstimulation, and concentration barriers can be combated with simple play-oriented, movement-centered, grounding techniques. I hope you can join me to feel empowered to tackle minimizing screen time in a world that revolves around screens!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief look at my personal parenting style with regard to screens. 
• The age at which I introduced screens into my children's lives.
• Discussing the development of a young child’s brain with respect to certain age markers.
• The developmental processes a brain misses out on when a child is having screen time.
• Why I avoided screen time when raising my children in their early years. 
• The importance of children feeling and processing their boredom.
• The effects of screen time on children's cognitive, sensory, and physiological nervous systems.
• How screen time can affect your child’s focus, attention span, and sleep.
• A scientific understanding of a child’s developing brain. 
• Three critical questions you can ask yourself when making decisions around children’s screen time.
• How to look out for and pay attention to the negative effects of screen time.
• 10 key points from Dr. Dunckley’s book, Reset Your Child's Brain.
• The power of observing your child.

PDF Reset Your Child's Brain - A Four Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades and Build Social skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen Time

Reset Your Child's Brain by Dr. Victoria Dunckley

What Do We Really Know About Kids and Screens

The Case for Screen-Free Childhood

Associations between screen-based media use and brain white matter integrity in preschool-aged children

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