Superintendent, Dr. Shari Camhi, Interviewed by Huff Post

6 Big Screen-Time Myths That Need To Be Busted

What even counts as screen time, and where should parents focus their concern?

Excerpt from article:

If certain kinds of screen time are more valuable, it follows that counting up minutes isn’t the best way to keep kids in check. If they’re composing music, hours with the computer aren’t a bad thing — whereas you might want to put a 20-minute limit on their TikTok app.

This (of course) means more work for parents. You can’t just throw an iPad at your child and go off to tend to all the household chores.

“Monitoring usage is essential,” Shari Camhi, superintendent of Baldwin Union Free School District on New York’s Long Island, told HuffPost.

In other words, you have to continually check in with your kids to see what they’re up to.

“Families should ‘parent’ their child(ren)’s social media activity, cell phones, and other devices,” Camhi said.

She recommended “checking on how your child is feeling, ensuring they are still socializing appropriately and in-person, and making sure there is still electronic-free play time embedded in their day.”

This can mean setting time limits on apps — but beware that kids have a way of figuring out how to get around restrictions pretty quickly. More likely, it means a lot of peeking over their shoulders.

With an older child, it might involve conversations about how screens make them feel, or what they do when they see a social media post that makes them feel bad. Sharing examples from your own life, such as when you unfollow someone or decide to take a social media break, can be helpful.

Read full article in HuffPost>>