Screen time is another baseless concern we run into when we explain our model. The idea is that if kids have too much time - in some cases, any time - in front of screens such as computers and televisions, it will be somehow bad for the kids. They never seem to be able to articulate exactly how or why it will be bad for their children. Only that it will.
It’s another one of those memes that gets suggested, then accepted without critical thought. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that exposure to a laptop or a tablet will cause any kind of physical or psychological harm. Yet a great many parents fear it, because others fear it.
Students use the internet to study information that interests them. Also to socialize with others about what they find. Video games, too, are social, as are movies. And every study on the subject shows that violent fiction in video games and movies has a negative correlation with real world violence, not the positive correlation that so many people fear. Far from being dangerous, screen time is helpful.
Furthermore, it’s not all they do. Our kids spend time in front of screens, yes. Then they get up and do other things. We don’t have to force them.
We don’t worry about irrational fears like screen time at Sudbury schools. Like everything else harmless, we let each child decide.
It’s another one of those memes that gets suggested, then accepted without critical thought. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that exposure to a laptop or a tablet will cause any kind of physical or psychological harm. Yet a great many parents fear it, because others fear it.
Students use the internet to study information that interests them. Also to socialize with others about what they find. Video games, too, are social, as are movies. And every study on the subject shows that violent fiction in video games and movies has a negative correlation with real world violence, not the positive correlation that so many people fear. Far from being dangerous, screen time is helpful.
Furthermore, it’s not all they do. Our kids spend time in front of screens, yes. Then they get up and do other things. We don’t have to force them.
We don’t worry about irrational fears like screen time at Sudbury schools. Like everything else harmless, we let each child decide.
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