I’d love to hear from you on this question!

According to a survey conducted by Northwestern researchers, most parents answered, YES!

Despite the number of hours spent with TV, tablets, cell phones, computers and other devices, only 30% of the 2326 parents surveyed were concerned that their young children consumed too much media. Yes,parents acknowledged that all these screens are not good for physical activity, but most didn’t see screen use as a source of conflict in the home and are OK with overages.

Also TV remains a popular way to divert or reward kids.

Could it be that the reason the concern is not there is that parents are also heavy users? Parents do have control over very young kids and in many cases, TVs are in the kid’s bedrooms along with other screen devices.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics says this is a NO NO and strongly recommends screen time be zero for children 2 and under and only 2 hours a day for older kids.

It doesn’t appear that every family is following that advice. Some think the AAP is out of touch with reality, but the organization is basing its recommendations on evidenced-based practices. So parents, decide for yourself if you want to get those kids off screens and more active.

Maybe the answer is that the entire family needs to rethink how they use screens.

Maybe we all need to be more active.

Maybe we just won’t care and will continue to be heavy media consumers.

Your thoughts?