The Screen Time Effect on Little Readers

0:12 Hey there educators and parents, welcome back to the Education Connection where we dive into the real issues impacting our young learners. I'm Robin Wilson, your host, bringing you practical strategies to set kids up for success. Today we're tackling a challenge many of us are facing. How screens are impacting our youngest learners. Tablets and phones are shaping how toddlers' brains develop. research is showing it could affect their future ability to read think critically and be creative and you know how important reading is to me almost if not every podcast that I've done has talked about the importance of reading and things that we can do to shape their reading so this podcast is really important to me because I see That screen time is affecting our youngest toddlers, our elementary school students, our middle school, high school. It's affecting adults.

1:19 It's affecting even our older generation and even our aging parents. It is designed to make you addicted to it and it's not your fault. There's dopamine going on in your brain. I listened recently to Mel Robbins love love love her and giving her a shout out because this research is not new but she brought light to it recently on her podcast and as I was thinking about her podcast I got thinking I have seen the effects of this on our youngest of students and so that's where My area is my expertise is what we can do to help our littlest ones. And I'm also going to be talking about how I want to make that change in my life too. So I'm going to be giving you some practical strategies as always to set kids up for success. The as I said research is showing it could affect the their future ability to read Think critically and that's where we've talked about those comprehension strategies and to be able to infer visualize Use their brain to think as what we were taught in kids to think outside of In between the lines or outside the lines or outside of the box So but here's the good

2:52 news Because I don't want it to be all doom and gloom and we've already kind of fallen into this and now there's nothing we can do because listen the brain is Placid it is It's a muscle and it can be changed. It is what we call resilient and it can come back The brain is ever growing and what I love about the brain studies is even older people like me. I am 58 years old I found out a few years ago now I was so excited like I was calling my friends would excited about it because I don't know if you know but every night when you go to bed even at your age at my age you get 1 ,400 new neurons every single night and what you do with them determines what how your day is gonna become, the things you're gonna learn, how you think, how you act, how you, it will affect the things that you do going forward in the future. So if you're feeling like you've already fallen into the trap of too much screen time with your little one, don't worry.

4:03 There are simple effective ways that we can turn it around. Today I'm gonna share some practical steps to help your young child unplug. That's right. We engage and develop skills. They need to thrive So if this episode speaks to you Leave a five -star review for me It's gonna help other parents and teachers find me and if you know someone who needs to hear this, please share it with them Now, let's get started So yeah, I know you want your child and your students to be engaged. I want my students to be engaged You want them to be curious learners who can focus, think deeply, and express creativity.

4:47 But in today's world, screen times are every, I'm sorry, screens are everywhere and screen time is just getting longer and longer because it is set up to make us become addicted to it every time we're on it and we we swipe up or we have the flashing thing over here or the ad that's popping in over here we're getting a shot of dopamine and it's easy to feel overwhelmed it's easy to feel like you're trying to find the right balance but you keep you know wanting to look back at that phone and your child is the same as you and when we take the guilt away and we realize how it is manipulating us that's when we can start seeing it for what it is and maybe do something about it. So studies show that excessive screen time in early childhood is rewiring their developing brains. It's impacting their attention spans and you know we have an ADHD, ADD, I know they say there's no ADHD anymore that it's only ADD but 80 ADD to me is just the attention deficit disorder to where they're just their attention is diverted and the ADHD is that hyperactivity that comes with it I still see that so I know that they're they're not wanting to call those separate anymore But I do still

6:19 see that and as much as we're seeing those attention spans reduced It does there's research that shows that it's stemming back to the screen time For a lot of these little guys that they had very early there when their brains were developing when our brain, you know Years ago and I have a Christian audience and I know when God created our brains over the centuries We were not wired to have this electronic device in our hands at birth at early early childhood at toddler age and our brains it's rewiring our brains according to research so it's reducing deep thinking and it's making it harder for kids to engage in books and hands -on learning because let's face it a book is not going to pop out and animation here and there a book is not going to you know flash this shiny thing this shiny object over here and so that's what they're looking for when they're reading books and sometimes books then become Something that they're not wanting to do as much as they are wanting to play those games on the screen So maybe you've already noticed this in your child. Maybe they struggle to focus on the books or they struggle to focus with their teacher Because you know, she's not throwing Flashes of light at them. She's you know, she's up there teaching about math and it's a much

7:50 simpler Situation that they're in when they're not on their screens so and they might get bored easier and they seem to always want a screen and begging for that screen time if it sounds familiar you're not alone please please please don't take this as judgment from me at all and don't judge yourself don't judge your child that's what the the The big companies are wanting to do, they're wanting to sell your child that new game. They're wanting to sell you that new product. They're flashing things at you. Social media is wanting you to stay on there longer. Instagram Facebook all of these social me, you know, and they're good things. I love my Facebook. I love Instagram I can connect with my friends. I can do my art and things on there that I do but There it's wired to keep you on there longer So if it sounds familiar you're not alone, but there is hope the brain is not set in stone as I mentioned earlier It is what we call Resilient it can adapt and change at any stage of development or even in adulthood adulthood because guess what you're getting those 1400 new neurons every night and you can rewire your brain if you've ever read books about the habits You can rewire your habits

9:22 and so that's kind of what this podcast is about Focusing mostly on that screen time and it's never too late to make a positive shift So as a longtime educator, I've seen firsthand how different learning environments shape young minds over the years that I've taught I've noticed when I first started teaching um it didn't seem like I needed to be animated. I could teach of course we wanted to do different things give kids ways to move around the room ways to go um to you know to the rug or get up here but it seems like today I have to be more animated I have to come up with more sing songy songs I have to shift the focus quite often and so doing a different activity with the same Concept so if I this week I'm teaching double -digit addition and so teaching it in one way I've got to teach it in several different ways and we need to Sing about it and we need to move with it and we and these are all good things and I love my job I love doing what I do But because of the technology that our kids are used to it has to be almost replicated in the classroom And it's not always possible So but the good news is you're not powerless. There are research back strategies that Parents and teachers can

10:52 use to reverse the effects of too much screen time and build healthier habits So if you're looking for ways to cut back on screen time I'm here for you and I want to help you and your child regain focus Creativity and a love for learning. So here's a simple plan number one start small Don't go in and announce that there will be no more screen time for your child, because that's going to set you up for a disaster. There's going to be arguments and fights and everything. But one of the things you can do is just start by reducing it by 10 minutes, 10, 15 minutes.

11:39 So if your screen time a day right now is an hour. two hours shave that back by ten minutes and if they're really young they may not even realize that you have taken that back by ten minutes. Swap so when you get ready to you know shut off that screen of course I you know it's something that they're going to be invested in elsewhere so you might instead of saying no screens offer better alternative hey you want to go outside and play? Have some play -doh here or look at these blocks I built and if your child is into building or creating Things maybe painting. I know a lot of times you can buy little paint sets and they're not too much Get your child involved in something else that they like to do. Maybe they want to cook with you So swap it out. You don't want to just say no more and then leave them with nothing swap it out with something that's fun that you both can do together.

12:43 I would set clear consistent limits and you know you may get a little pushback from that but if you set those limits decide as a family when screens are allowed and stick to it create a screen free zone so be you know if you're deciding separate time is going to be a time that we don't have any screens um we're not going to have our phones you know ask the family can we put the phones away during this time and you know if it's too hard to do it for the whole time maybe you do for part of the time but i i think your family will um go along and try to put those away if they can engage in fun um connection with you and conversation with you um encouraging boredom i heard i listen to podcast all the time and I found out actually a few years ago that when we are bored a lot of times that's our brain taking a break and sometimes it's actually okay to be bored. Do you remember when we were kids and those lazy summer afternoons when we would say mom I'm bored and she would say go outside and play and a lot of times that's what would start to build our creativity. That's when we become more interested in other things that we didn't realize that we would have been interested

14:16 in. That's actually where creativity begins. So give kids space to be bored. You don't have to plan every waking hour of their day and you don't have to rescue them from boredom. They have if they have any things in their room they want to play with you know they can go play with those or they could go outside find some sticks and build something build things with their sticks in the yard. So it doesn't even have to cost a lot of money. But boredom is not a really not a bad thing. And so read together. And if you've listened to my podcast, actually every podcast that I've done, I don't know that I've not mentioned reading. Read together. So read to your children or read with your children and let your children read to you. just if you want to do all three of these in the same day or if you want to split it up today tomorrow and the next day share that experience of books with them go to the library pick out books that they love have them pick out the ones they love because their interest is always more when they are reading and something you can do is spend time at the library so pick the books out at the library Find a cozy corner and read to them at the library. That's going to give that physical separation from screen time as well. And let's be the model. And I'm

15:50 speaking to myself because this is a big one. There's nothing better for me on a weekend to just get my phone and do some mindless scrolling. But I'm going to try to cut back my own screen time and work on building my own creativity and see if I can just leave my phone in another room. I don't need my phone with me all the time 24 -7. I do like to check it during the day for my family like at my lunchtime or in between but I'm going to try to like in the evening even separate my phone because at work I don't look at it all day. You know, I do check it at lunch and stuff, but at home I'm checking it quite often I'm coming in the door and checking it and I'm making dinner and while I'm making dinner I might be scrolling through Social media and then after dinner, you know I'm looking through again and then I do set it down if I'm working on a podcast or if I'm working on a product I will set it down If I'm working on lesson plans and it really does set to the side and I don't look at it too much want to start separating from it a little bit even during while I'm cooking separate stuff and see you know if I can do without it because the phone is set up for an addiction and I'm really trying to separate myself from that addiction if you haven't listened to Mel Robbins latest podcast on that you should go

17:24 to her podcast and listen to that episode So try one small change this week. I just want to give you something little. Maybe it's a tech -free dinner or swapping 15 minutes of screen time for outdoor play. Little by little these shifts add up to big impact. Imagine your child excitedly flipping through a book. playing outside without asking for a tablet or engaging in deep conversations at the dinner table. Imagine them developing the creativity, problem -solving skills, and focus they need to succeed in school and beyond. That's what's possible when we take small steps toward balance. So if we don't step in now, I have been concerned for a while and I've talked to other educators that have been very concerned. We're going to risk raising a generation that struggles with attention. That lacks creativity because you know that screen is doing it all for them and they're going to be finding it harder to engage in meaningful learning. Those comprehension skills are going to fall to the wayside because you know to infer or to think outside the box or to visualize if they've never had to do it on their own that's going to be difficult for them when they're reading a story and they're having to take a test and pass a test for maybe a state test that you have when your littles

18:56 get into second and third grade if they've never had to visualize and you know they've always had the screens doing it for them it's going to be difficult for them so Take those steps now to help your littles. And if you've already been doing that, it's okay. It's okay. Start small, let's turn it around. But we do know the research is clear. Too much passive screen time in early childhood has long -term consequences. But we as the teachers and as parents have the power to change that. So I hope you've enjoyed today's episode and I hope it gave you hope and practical tools to help the little ones in your life. Remember no matter where you are in this journey it's never too late to make positive changes. The brain is resilient and small shifts can lead to big results. So if this episode speaks to you I'd love to hear from you. Have you struggled with managing screen time? I know I have. Do you know someone who needs to hear this message?

20:04 Send this episode their way and help spread awareness. And if you haven't already, please take a moment to leave a five -star review. It helps more parents and teachers find this podcast. And before you go, if you have an almost kindergartner, first grader, or second grader, be sure to check out episodes 24, 25, and 26. or all three of them if you have all three or if you have one or the other you can find each one of those there they're packed with insights to help young learners get a strong start so thank you so much for listening and I'll see you next time