Pick programs that actively engage your little watchers and don’t let the tube replace play.

There has been a debate as old as … perhaps 2006 when the iPhone came out. It’s a question parents regularly ask themselves and others. Is screen time good or bad? The answer is no.

Children looking at a computer, phone or TV isn’t, on its own, a “good” or “bad” thing. It’s a much more complex issue. You have to ask how old the child is, what is on the screen, and what are the alternatives.

Let’s dig in to the screen time question, starting with age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends abstaining from screen time before 18 months, and for 2- to 5-year-olds to limit the exposure to an hour or less a day.

For the first five years of a child’s life, their brain is doing the most growth and development, a special time for their future potential. So rather than passive participation in screen time (where they just watch), it’s much better that children engage with their environment (where they interact).

Further, research has found that children under 2 don’t learn from screen time like older children do. It is best to offer children at this age real materials to play with, and when they do use screens, adults need to support the learning in an interactive manner. A study examined whether children could learn language from a screen. Only during a live video chat, when an adult engaged with the child, did they succeed at learning new words compared to a recorded video.

Which brings us to active engagement. Children learn by doing and play is their work. When we remove the hands-on participation from activities, we decrease learning potential. This is why it’s important to choose developmentally age-appropriate shows and apps.

For years, “Sesame Street” has been researching how their program can provide engagement and learning for children. They found the key to success was asking kids to participate during the show. So, look for shows where the characters talk directly to the audience and ask for involvement by asking a question or repeating a word. Sesame Street also works to keep the flow – stories are not broken up but kept together to create a strong story line without distractions. A story with a beginning, middle, and end in an uninterrupted sequence is vital to learning.

Another way to increase the engagement is to participate and watch it with the child. This can be hard when you are using the screen time to make important phone calls or cook dinner. So, if you can, watch one or two episodes with your child to help them learn how to engage with a show.

Also, talk to them about what is happening in the show. Point out things that connect to their own life experiences (have they had a similar experience or item). Afterwards, ask them questions or have them act out parts of the story. In a study that looked at “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” when parents discussed the show with their children, kids gained an increased understanding of social-emotional skills. Children are better able to learn from a show when parents talk with them about what happened.

As children grow, you can ask them to reflect on how they would have handled a situation in the show or what they think would happen if circumstances were different. Predictive questions are also good, asking what they think the character will do next. All of these stimulate thought instead of passive observation.

Lastly, ask yourself what screen time is taking your child away from. Screen time has been shown to increase obesity and depressive thoughts in children. When your child is on their screen, does it take away time from active play, like running, or social engagement, like playing a game with friends or family members? When the screen replaces healthy choices, it can have a negative effect. However, if there is a dance party game that gets your child moving during the dark winter nights, or if they found an exciting book on the library app, it becomes a positive alternative.

A screen on its own isn’t evil or great; what we do with it is what matters. Consider the age of your child, how interactive the game or show is (remembering to interact with your child, too), and think about what is the screen replacing.

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Erin Bartsch is the P-3 Coordinator for the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub and a part of the UMCHS team, working to bridge early childhood resources and prepare children for kindergarten. For more information visit www.bluemountainearlylearninghub.org.