I wish we could disambiguate between what we mean by “screen” in these conversations. A screen is a medium, which I do not believe is universally bad. I am not sure about tablets and they do seem like they can have “bad” content, and I am 100% sure they are used as a crutch when they “shouldn’t” be.
But in moderation, it would be pretty difficult for someone to convince me that showing my toddler Mr Rogers was bad for him just because it is on a screen. There are things that the show Mr Rogers can do that no book or toy can do. It can show a narrated video of a real factory that makes crayons that enthralled my kid and boosted his imagination which translated directly into play time. It can show a real jazz band and have the members talk about how their instruments work (and we can hear them). It can show adult dynamics between non-authority figures which is rare in today’s world. Or any number of things like this.
I would be interested to hear why this is wrong or bad, and what a universally superior option would be that should be used in place of it. I see diversity of experience (even an experience in separate mediums) as important. 1 part coloring and 1 part Mr Rogers easily beats 2 parts coloring in my mind.
But in moderation, it would be pretty difficult for someone to convince me that showing my toddler Mr Rogers was bad for him just because it is on a screen. There are things that the show Mr Rogers can do that no book or toy can do. It can show a narrated video of a real factory that makes crayons that enthralled my kid and boosted his imagination which translated directly into play time. It can show a real jazz band and have the members talk about how their instruments work (and we can hear them). It can show adult dynamics between non-authority figures which is rare in today’s world. Or any number of things like this.
I would be interested to hear why this is wrong or bad, and what a universally superior option would be that should be used in place of it. I see diversity of experience (even an experience in separate mediums) as important. 1 part coloring and 1 part Mr Rogers easily beats 2 parts coloring in my mind.