The last three months have witnessed a global paradigm shift in lifestyle,\nhuman ideals and interpersonal relations. As a result of Covid lockdown, nearly\n90% of student population across the world has been cut off from school. As\nCovid numbers in India continue to rise unrelentingly, the foreseeable future\nindicates delay in reopening of preschools until later part of the year. In\nthis extraordinary situation, the internet is a critical tool for children’s\naccess to learning, play, entertainment and social interaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The education sector is currently undergoing a revolutionary digital\ntransformation. However this does raise concerns for parents about screen time.\nFor pre-school children it raises fundamental questions \u2013 the efficacy of\nonline learning on unripe minds, addiction, level of mental and physical\nstimulation – all valid concerns! However, parents need to acknowledge that\nonline interaction is the only recourse that connects us to the world and\nfacilitates a certain sense of normalcy. Therefore, bending screen time rules\nhas become an inevitable reality!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Redefining the Concept of Screen Time – Quantity Vs Quality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The screen time debate precedes the Covid crisis. Media researchers have\nbeen long arguing that content and safety have more impact on children’s\nwell-being than measuring screen time in minutes alone.<\/strong> A child sharing\nstories with grandparents over Face Time vis-a-vis watching Youtube videos or\nplaying Candy Crush have vastly different impact. In 2019, the Oxford Internet\nInstitute, Oxford University suggested through a study involving 35,000\nchildren that about one to two hours of daily screen time can benefit children\nto some extent and could contribute to their social functioning. Professor\nAndrew Przybylski, Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute,\nsurmised based on these findings that a blanket ban on screen time without\nevaluating the content is fallacious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, one must make the distinction between passive screen time and\ninteractive usage. A three year old living in Canada playing ‘tea party’ with\nher grandmother in India over Face Time, learning how to pour tea from a\nteapot, offering it to her grandmother is developing communication skills and\nher imagination while enjoying quality time with her grandmother. This is a\nstrong example of positive screen time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n