How screen time eventually became a painful topic – Mother's column
As soon as you have digital devices you have discussion about screen time. Photo AFP, Carl de Souza
Christian Life
Let’s talk about it! Sooner or later, every family with children will face the question of how much screen time to allow. When? With what content?
I have to admit, I was on the verge of becoming proud of my prowess with screen time! In fact, until last January, there had never been a television in our house. That meant I could count zero hours of TV time for the kids! A perfect family? I wouldn’t say so!
Since we married, my husband and I have not felt the need for a TV. And for years, we have used our laptops for “movie night” or cell phones for other needs. We were okay with that. It was not much of a sacrifice, but that does not mean I always had a balanced approach to screens. In fact, I often found myself scrolling through social media for no reason.
With the arrival of children, we thought we could avoid the need to watch television. We always suggested children’s songs. But we soon found that when they discovered that the videos accompanied these songs on YouTube, they couldn’t help but insist on watching the videos and asking for more and more time in front of their phones.
But the real challenge came when our daughter, in school, learned the names of characters and cartoons from her friends and asked to watch them.
When my husband and I decided it was time for us to have a bigger screen, we started allowing her to watch some cartoons. And from then on, the questions of how to handle television in the home began!
Television is addictive. The more they watch, the more they want to watch. It is also true that it helps so much! It is the only activity that keeps them quiet and entertained and does not require my intervention every 5 minutes.
So the temptation is to give them more time in front of the TV to work, cook, and do all the other activities a mother has to do during the day. So now, my children have accumulated over zero hours in front of the TV!
Despite the new convenience, the questions remain!
The Bible does not tell us to entertain our children but to teach them how to behave (Proverbs 22:6) and train them in wisdom.
This means that even in the content they watch, we should be careful not to feed them dangerous or harmful things. In general, the challenge with cartoons for young children is that they do not have inappropriate content; they can be educational: they develop language and help develop imagination. But is it always helpful?
The Bible says that children should be taught the ways of the Lord and His commandments before any other knowledge (Deuteronomy 6:7). So, no, it is not a priority!
It is also true that it makes no sense to demonise the time spent in front of the television and then keep them in an analogic world where the ways of the Lord are not taught anyway. I would still be failing in my duty as a mother!
So, as I, along with all the other moms in the world, learn to manage and balance screen time, I try to keep my priorities in mind and feed my children a diet of wholesome content that can lead to knowledge of God’s will for them.
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