Why don't we ban screen time?

Simply banning technology can lead to conflict and raise tension in the household. As we have seen, screens can have a very powerful pull at an instinctive level and coupled with the feeling like we are missing out, this could result in quite negative reactions which damage the relationship.

Further to this, there is an argument that it actually plays an important role in self regulation. Brooks and Lasser argue that simply denying the child technology could have implications further down the line when they do get access to technology. Vohs and Baumesiter (2004; in Brooks and Lasser, 2018) found that one of the most important factors in personal problems such as managing alcohol is some kind of failure of self-regulation. This is not to say that if kids can’t play video games they will have problems with alcohol, but the research suggests that by creating a situation where children have the control to make choices and are guided closely by parents who help them make the right choices, children will grow up with the knowledge and strategies to be able to control their screen-time use independently. If we don’t give them those chances it’s more difficult for them to develop the strategies associated with self-regulation of screens.