WAIT — SCREEN TIME IS GOOD FOR KIDS? HOW A BALANCED MEDIA DIET BOLSTERS CHILD DEVELOPMENT
If you Google the effects of screen time on children, you’re sure to be bombarded with horror stories. Numerous articles claim that, beginning in infancy, the more time a child spends in front of a TV, phone, or computer, the worse their developmental outcomes will be.
that any kind of screen time would be better spent climbing a tree or running in the backyard. But in October of 2016, they offered new recommendations for parents. For infants and young toddlers, the research still sides pretty heavily against the use of iPads and television. Before 18 months of age, a child lacks the cognitive capabilities allowing them to apply the lessons of technology to real life, and even after that, the APP recommends that media consumption should be limited to “high-quality programming, such as the content offered by Sesame Workshop and PBS.” But for kids ages 5 and up, parents should avoid banning screen time outright, but function as their child’s media mentor. Instead of decrying time spent building complex structures in “Minecraft” as hours that could be spent on the soccer field, we should set expectations and boundaries to ensure that children can deepen their experience of the world through media, not hamper it. The problem starts not with the screen itself, but when the consumption of media becomes problematic, replacing regular face-to-face interactions and physical activity. But with a balanced media diet, kids can have the best of both worlds.
At first glance, the research is utterly conclusive. It seems we should throw out every TV in our house, smash our kids’ smartphones, and usher our children into the great outdoors as soon as possible. But what most of these studies fail to take into account is the content of the electronic media. If a child spends two hours a day bingeing episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” or screaming obscenities into a headset while playing “Call of Duty,” it’s going to negatively impact their experience of the world along with their mental and physical health. But not all content is created equal.
In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended strict limits on electronic engagement for kids, following the old line of thinking
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Legal Food Frenzy — A Great Event for a Great Cause
With April just around the corner, we at Gillette Law Group are stocking the pantry in preparation for the annual Legal Food Frenzy. This event, organized by the Attorney General, the Young Lawyers Division, and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, combines compassion with friendly competition. Between April 16–27, we’ll be competing to donate more non-perishable food than our friends at other law firms. Every year, our whole team gets into the spirit, bringing in pounds of soup, applesauce, pasta, peanut butter, oatmeal packets, and so much more! We get to engage in some fun camaraderie with our friends and address a pressing need in our community. In a recent study, Feeding America estimated over 935,000 Virginians are food insecure. These are our neighbors, friends, and loved ones, living without reliable access to nutritious meals. Many are people who have been disabled, and can no longer work. Our firm has seen first- hand the difficult struggles that come after a debilitating injury, and we know how easy it is for malnutrition and hunger to set in.
That’s why the Legal Food Frenzy is so important to us and the entire Virginian legal community. Believe it or not, most folks go into law because of their passion for and belief in making a difference. But sometimes, we lose site of the good we can do outside of the courtroom. Events like these remind us that advocacy alone means very little if it isn’t paired with compassion and a deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by our community. We applaud the event organizers for making this event a yearly success. It is an amazing charity that does so much tangible good. It’s the highlight of our year. To those firms, law schools, and solo practitioners we’ll be competing against nest month, bring everything you got! This year, Gillette is going for gold. P.S. To back up this bravado, we need all the help we can get! If any of our readers would like to bring in non-perishable food donations to our office between April 16–27, it would mean the world to us!
2 | GilletteLawGroup.com
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