By Suzanne Ender
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Ahhhhhh the joys of summer are finally here. Sunshine, road trips, beach days, and unstructured free time to finally relax and enjoy life….. Similar to the fresh start and new beginnings of the school year, we parents and caregivers typically begin summer break with high hopes, expectations, and optimism… Give or take a week or two and our feelings will commonly (inevitably?) shift …. and grow increasingly concerned about the amount of “freetime” our childredn spend in front of a device or screen.
At all ages, people benefit from monitoring the quality, quantity, and value of technology and media consumption. However, parents and caregivers have the added responsibility to guide their children in selecting, evaluating, and balancing the time spent in front of screens. Supporting a child’s “dietary intake” of digital media and screen time is now understood to be just as important as monitoring a child’s quality of sleep, nutritional intake, physical activities, and opportunities to learn, connect, and participate in the world.
Most parents and caregivers are likely to already know that they should support and structure their child’s consumption or “intake” of digital media, technology, and screen time. The deeper issue lies in the overwhelming task on exactly how to do this. How much monitoring is necessary? What content is helpful, harmful and to what extent? What settings should be considered to protect their child’s privacy and safety? How much access is appropriate? These are just a few of the questions parents and caregivers must consider to support and structure digital media consumption and safety. Many more questions may also be included on this list.
Fortunately, there are resources that can help parents and caregivers address these questions. One helpful resource is Common Sense Media. The mission of Common Sense Media is to “put kids’ safety and well-being first in the digital era. Together with families, educators, and policymakers, we’re leading the way to a safer, healthier childhood.” While Action for Media Education (AME) is not affiliated or connected with Common Sense Media, we believe that Common Sense Media is helpful resource to guide parents and caregivers. Many of the resources are freely accessible; other content requires a small membership fee of $3.99 a month/ $39.99 per year.
Experts in child development and children’s media literacy offer reviews and recommendations on movies, television programs, books, gaming, and social media. Articles such as “The Parents Survival Guide to Summer and Screens” press releases and position statements are offered to help keep parents in the loop and informed about digital media issues. Paying subscribers can access content on more specific topics like how to set limits on Roblox Tik Tok, Apple, YouTube, or Discord. Higher level guidance on “AI Toys” or supporting “Boys Digital Lives” may be of interest to parents and caregivers.
Overall, summer can be a glorious season that encourages relaxation, connection, creativity, and quality moments. Screen time and access to digital media does have an appropriate and supportive role in making memories and fostering communication among people of all ages. In order to support positive and developmentally appropriate engagement in digital media, Action for Media Education (AME) hopes that Common Sense Media can be a valuable, reliable, and trustworthy resource this summer and throughout the year.