Meet the parents banning all screen time — even the news —to protect kids | Latest Tech News
In 1995, 14-year-old Carlie called it a wrap on films.
While other teenagers lined up to see blockbuster hits like “Clueless” and “Jumanji,” an earlier film outing to see a fantasy sci-fi flick called “Powder” despatched Carlie off the ledge.
“It was just so cheesy,” Carlie, 45, a realtor from Carrollton, Virginia, told The Post. “I thought, ‘I’m done. I’m not watching movies anymore. Why am I watching people on TV live a life, and getting so invested in that, when I could just go live mine?’”
Since that day, she has eschewed TV and movies ceaselessly — and when she turned a mother herself, determined to lengthen that self-discipline to her kids.
But not like many parents who focus on limiting social media or smartphone use, Carlie takes it a step additional for her two boys, ages 8 and 9: eliminating TV, streaming and video video games nearly solely.
She didn’t need her kids to turn into another statistic. The average youngster watches a staggering 7½ hours daily on screen — particularly as extreme screen use has been linked to poor sleep, weaker consideration, and developmental delays.
So tablets and streaming apps are no-gos, and the single TV they own is outdated, hardly ever turned on, and cable-free — which, she admits, has sometimes saved her in the darkish about impending hurricanes. (She’s since bought a cellphone for work, which retains her in the loop.)
While many kids unwind after college with YouTube or Netflix, Carlie’s kids play outdoors, apply their cooking abilities, or help in the garden. But as the boys grow older and spend more time with buddies, she confesses that her screen-free stance could inevitably start to shift.
“My kids see that everyone else has their own device,” she said. “I don’t know how to give them a little without it getting crazy.”
Ashley M.’s household ditched tv 14 years in the past. She’s among many. parents who are swearing off tech Ian Mahathey for NYPost
Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., creator of “10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World,” told The Post that a no-screens strategy is a good transfer — if you’ll be able to keep it.
“I do think it’s a great approach if you can pull it off,” she said. “No screens can be easy to enforce, but may be hard to pull off in the long run.”
“No screens can be easy to enforce, but may be hard to pull off in the long run,” said Jean M. Twenge, creator of the e book “10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World.”
“Kids may feel a little left out of certain conversations, but they tend to pick things up from their peers. It doesn’t end up being as big of a deal as parents worry.”
Still, Carlie’s launched a “point system” for chores and habits that lets the boys earn an hour of playtime on a Nintendo Switch. It’s one thing she grapples with, particularly now that they’ve been pushing for more.
“I’m constantly questioning myself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’” she said. “I feel like my kids are going to miss out on some opportunities, but I don’t want to push them.”
Carlie isn’t the only dad or mum navigating no screens — though for some, the choice began for solely different causes.
Ashley M., 41, a PA-turned-stay-at-home mother in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, kicked tech to the curb in 2012. At the time, dwelling without a TV was a method to save money while her husband, an orthopedic surgeon, was in residency, and they labored to repay pupil loans.
“We realized that we didn’t actually need a TV,” Ashley shared with The Post. “For the most part, we just enjoyed spending time with each other or with friends.”
As the parents of two women — ages 8 and 10 — they’ve caught with a strong screen-free strategy with the occasional household film evening on an iPad. Instead of tablets or TV, studying has turn into the pastime of selection.
Ashley’s household will sometimes screen a film on an iPad. “For the most part, we just enjoyed spending time with each other or with friends,” she asserted. Ian Mahathey for NYPost
“The girls wake up, and they read while eating breakfast,” she said. “I’m constantly loading up their Kindles and going to the library because they are such avid readers.”
Like any true millennial, Ashley also values the free-roaming days of the ‘90s — and having like-minded neighbors makes it occur. “The kids ride around the neighborhood and play, then come and check in at certain times,” she said.
As her daughters become older, though, Ashley said she’s had to loosen the reins in sure social settings, permitting them to watch their buddies play video games or scroll social media. “Does it make me cringe? 100%,” she provides. “But she has to grow and figure it out.”
This little library is in Ashley’s entrance yard. The household put it there after shifting in as a neighborly method to get people to read more. Ian Mahathey for NYPost
It’s one thing that stay-at-home mother Abby T., 38, from Wakefield, VA, retains in thoughts as she practices her own strategy: no screens, no cable, and no Wi-Fi. While she owns a smartphone, she admits it’s only used for calls, transient Facebook check-ins, or the occasional live event.
“We are homeschooling, so we’ll watch historical stuff like presidential inaugurations,” she told The Post. “My daughter is obsessed with all things space, so we watched the Artemis II launch.”
Her three kids — ages 4 years, 3 years and 2 months — are allowed the occasional film evening on their previous rabbit-ear TV, mainly for her two older tots. “I have a collection of Disney VHS tapes — the vintage ones, like ‘Robin Hood,’” she revealed.
Abby T. reads “Charlotte’s Web” with two of her kids, who are homeschooled. Tyler Darden/Saltfirestudio.com
In their small city, Abby said it’s simpler to keep a uniquely simple life.
“We live on a little farm. We have a giant pond on our property and wood trails. Anyone who looks at us and thinks, ‘Oh, you’re depriving your kids by not letting them watch TV’ — just come to my house,” she laughed.
After breakfast and homeschool, her kids spend most of the day outdoors taking part in, exploring, or tending to animals. In cold or gloomy climate, the tech-free enjoyable strikes indoors, with coloring, imaginative play, and studying.
“My 3 and 4-year-olds played with Play-Doh for five hours straight,” she added, sounding barely amazed. “Their attention spans and creativity are just so undamaged because we’ve raised them this way. It’s beautiful.”
Abby’s tech-free household lives on a Virginia farm, which has raised eyebrows. “Anyone who looks at us and thinks, ‘Oh, you’re depriving your kids by not letting them watch TV’ — just come to my house,” she told The Post. Tyler Darden/Saltfirestudio.com
This comes as no shock to Twenge, noting that going screen-free can assist consideration span and face-to-face communication. “It can open kids up to spending their time in all kinds of creative ways,” she said.
The households agree the advantages are substantial, particularly when it comes to studying — with all three confirming their little readers are forward of the curve.
“We’re reading chapter books together. I will sit there for 30 to 45 minutes reading to them, and they both lay their heads back — you can see them visualizing the story,” Abby said fondly. “The reading has definitely been a benefit. My 4-year-old daughter is reading at a fourth-grade level.”
Abby’s kids have enjoyable with low-tech pursuits. Tyler Darden/Saltfirestudio.com
“It can open kids up to spending their time in all kinds of creative ways,” Abby said of life on their farm. Tyler Darden/Saltfirestudio.com
The actuality, however, is that most households aren’t going to such screen-limiting extremes — and that’s okay, said Twenge.
“The middle ground is usually the best place to be,” she told The Post. “An hour or so a day isn’t going to have a big impact — but once it goes beyond that, you start to see more problems.”
Still, as worries grow around social media and obsessive screen use, these households offer a uncommon glimpse into what life can seem like when screens aren’t working the show.
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