MINNEAPOLIS — Ah, the classic parental debate: Giving your kids an iPad will entertain them… but can the screen time cause harm? 

If you are a caregiver who allows your children to use screens, you probably feel some level of guilt. Based on your child’s age, parents and experts recommend varying screen time limits. 

But when it comes to screens, there is something that researchers say should be considered more than time.

“Content. Absolutely content,” said Deborah Nichols, Associate Professor in Purdue University’s Department of Human Development and Family Science. 

“All screen time is not created equal,” said Eric Rasmussen, Associate Professor and Chair of Texas Tech University’s Department of Public Relations and Strategic Communication Management. “Lean more towards the programming that’s designed to be educational instead of entertainment-based.”

Nichols and Rasmussen have spent their careers studying what media does to children. They are also parents and say that if you’re concentrating solely on screen time limits — reconsider.

“In my mind, [time limit guidelines] have the focus on the wrong place,” Nichols said. “The focus should be on helping your kids develop critical media literacy skills.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics changed its recommendations on children and screens in 2016. Instead of setting guidelines for specific time limits per age, they recommend looking at the “quality of interactions with digital media.”

“We don’t just sit down and mindlessly watch [screens],” Nichols said. “We select content that’s [age] appropriate and high quality.”

Nichols says her children were “PBS kids.” The nonprofit is focused on educational programming, with people on staff dedicated to creating content that helps kids learn. But there are other ways to tell you’re turning on good content. 

Rasmussen points to shows like “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” which are slower-paced.

“Kids learn when they have time to think about it,” Rasmussen said. “So, all the screen changes, flashing lights and loud noises [in a show] – that gets their attention, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into comprehension.”

Nichols says content focused on learning also includes repetition of key themes or lessons.

“Shows that use the same format and repeat content within that particular episode, kids are going to learn that better,” she said.

And if nothing else, listen to this:

“Instead of making so many rules about media, really parents need to be looking at [them]selves in the mirror and thinking, ‘Well, what am I doing with media?’ That’s what will change kids’ media use more than anything else.”

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