Screen Time from a "Modern Montessori" Perspective

Maria Montessori didn't share any information about screen time because... well... it wasn't a thing yet! But since she based her methods in science, I think she would have taken a research-based approach (and not a fear-based approach or zero-screen approach like I've seen promoted sometimes). The Montessori method focuses on hands-on education and real-life learning, so I don't think Dr. Montessori would have encouraged screens in her infant, toddler, or primary classrooms. However, I think she would have seen a place for screens in the elementary years and up (see the section Older Children below). I also think she would've taken a research-based approach to screen time in the home. Here are my thoughts on screen time from a research-based perspective as someone who practices Montessori at home, focused on this topic as part of my Ph.D. program, and works with kids, teachers, and parents on technology as part of my job. Please note that these suggestions are general and that every child is different; in particular, screens may be experienced differently for children of different neurotypes and may be beneficial for various needs such as communication.

Screen time is a tool that parents have at their disposal and it can definitely be a sanity-saver! When used properly and with the right type of media, there is nothing wrong with limited amounts of screen time. It is not something that needs to be all-or-nothing (unless you prefer not to use it, in which case, go for it! There's no need to use any screens before elementary school in my professional opinion - see more on this in the section Older Children). While I don't think parents should feel guilty about using screens in moderation, it is also important to remember that excessive screen time and certain types of media can have negative effects on children's development.

The Basics & The "Time" Part of Screen Time

Firstly, it is crucial to avoid using screens as a substitute for other important activities, such as reading, physical activity, social interaction, and independent play. It's also important to choose high-quality, age-appropriate content (see What Is High-Quality Screen Time? below for more details on what this means!).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends these guidelines for screen time with toddlers and preschoolers:

1. For children below 18 months, it is recommended to avoid digital media use, except for video-chatting (like FaceTime).

2. For children ages 18 months to 5 years, limit screen time to no more than 1 hour per day of high-quality programming. When possible, parents should watch the content with their children and discuss it with them to help them understand what they're seeing and promote their language skills. *My personal preference is to limit screen time to 30 minutes or less on a typical day at these ages, especially from 18 months to 3 years.

3. After 5 years old, the recommendations get less specific and no longer give time limits. The guidelines for 6 and up focus on quality versus quantity, having an agreed-upon family media plan, and on keeping your child safe online.

4. Avoid using screens as a way to calm children down, as it can interfere with the development of self-soothing skills.

5. Prioritize unstructured playtime, outdoor activities, physical activity, and face-to-face interactions with caregivers and peers.

6. Create a family media plan that includes guidelines for media use, such as where devices can be used and at what times.

A few of my own additions to these recommendations (based on the research, of course!):

• Try to make screen time part of a predictable routine, especially for younger children, such as one show on weekend mornings after breakfast but none on weekdays, or every day after school for 30 minutes. This helps children know when to expect it, when it will be turned off, and to learn not to ask for it at times when it won't be used. For older children, set expectations could include doing homework before using devices and/or charging all devices in a public area of the home at night.
• I do not recommend using screens regularly while your child is eating meals. It has been shown to make it more challenging for them to get the full sensory experience of food and also may increase the risk of choking in young children. Screen media also can limit rich language and connection opportunities during family mealtimes.
• I also do not recommend using screens regularly in the car after school, as this can block rich language, connection, and social-emotional learning opportunities such as talking about their day, challenges they're facing in school, etc.
• Screen use should be limited during set family times, such as during meals and on family outings. Screen use can limit rich language and conversational opportunities as well as opportunities for connection.
• Finally, I do not recommend using screens regularly within an hour of bedtime, as both the blue light and the stimulating nature of screen media can make it more difficult for children to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• You know your own kids best. If screen time is causing problems, such as a tantrum every time they have to turn it off, you may want to rethink your approach. You could try using a different type of media (such as slower-paced shows), allowing less time each session, or cutting it out all together (whether temporarily or longer-term). Different kids will react differently to screen time and different types of media.
• Important note: Modeling healthy screen habits yourself can go a long way in teaching your child about responsible media use and balance.

What Is "High-Quality" Screen Time for Kids?

Not all "screen time" is created equal! Quality may be every more important than quantity (to a certain extent). Here are some characteristics of high-quality screen time for kids:

1. Age-appropriate content: Look for media that is designed for your child's age and developmental stage. This is something to be particularly cognizant of if you have multiple children of varying ages.

2. Prosocial messaging: Shows or apps that children interact with should promote positive behavior that aligns with your family's values, such as programs that show characters treating one another with kindness and respect. Avoid programming that promotes behavior you would not want your child to display or language you would not want your child to repeat, especially for younger children.

3. Interactive and engaging, or creative: Choose apps, games, and shows that are interactive and engaging, allowing your child to actively participate in the learning process (such as call and response). For older children, creative screen time is shown to be one of the most beneficial types of screen time. This could mean creating digital art or their own movies or podcasts.

4. Educational: Educational screen time aims to promote learning and development, including skills such as language, literacy, and social-emotional development. A caveat to this: Research has generally shown that children below the age of 3 do not learn from screens. I do not completely agree with this, as I have seen children learn certain things such as a new word from a show. However, the research is clear that most children do not learn as well from screens as they do from interactions with in-person caregivers. Basically, do not think of screen time as being an educational activity for younger children; they probably aren't learning much from it in most cases.

5. Limited in duration: Screen time for children should be limited in duration, consistent with the guidelines such as those set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Toddlers and preschoolers in particular should not be spending long periods of time in front of screens.

6. Co-viewing and interaction: Watching and interacting with your child during screen time can enhance their learning and make the experience more social and engaging. Of course, if you're using screen time so you can get things done, this isn't always possible, but even discussing the show or game with your child afterward can make it more beneficial.

7. Safe and secure: Ensure that the media your child is engaging with is safe and secure, free from inappropriate content or advertising. If they use an app or game that requires them to sign up or log in, be aware of the program's requirements to sign up as well as the privacy policy. Maybe most importantly, be aware of whether the app or game allows your child to interact with other participants; I would recommend avoiding these types of programs until at least middle school or at a minimum ensuring they can only interact with "friends" they have accepted and know in real life.

8. Balanced with other activities: Screen time should be balanced with other activities that promote physical activity, social interaction, and unstructured play, as well as opportunities for reading and storytelling. Screen time should not replace opportunities to interact with caregivers, socialize with other children, or to play independently.

Do slower-paced shows matter? The research actually is unclear about whether slower-paced shows are better for kids. However, I generally prefer shows that are slower-paced and less stimulating for toddlers in particular.

"A study published in 2019 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity... recorded [students'] use of screen time in diaries, categorizing screen time as social, passive, interactive, educational, and other. Passive screen time was found to have the most negative outcomes while educational screen time had the most positive outcomes and no negative impact... The same result was evident with interactive screen time [no negative impacts]." -Dr. Kecia Ray, Tech & Learning (Note that this was for elementary-aged students). 

Older Children (Elementary Age & Up)

I think Dr. Montessori would've seen uses for screens in the classroom starting in elementary school, with a particular focus on creative screen media as well as modern literacies such as computer science and programming. Digital programs that enable students to show their learning in new ways and learn skills that will benefit them in the future, such as creating eBooks, podcasts, and infographics, are creative, "hands-on" uses of technology that also generally are used collaboratively. Technology can also be used in conjunction with modern physical tools to teach students valuable skills, such as programming a robot or designing a 3D model then printing it on a 3D printer. Code is a new language that many experts think will be essential in the professional world in the future, and elementary school is the perfect age to start learning about it in fun ways both on and off of screens. Technology can also be used to connect with others, such as students in another country the class is learning about or experts in a field of study. Technology in the classroom has a lot of potential, but it should not regularly be used as a babysitter for students (such as just "putting them on a program" while the teacher grades papers) and it should always be balanced with hands-on learning, in-person collaboration, and physical activity.

At home, screen media can allow older children and teens to learn new things, stay in touch with friends and family members who live far away, express themselves creatively, and even get involved in causes they care about. Of course, it is particularly important at these ages to keep kids and teens safe online, and social media is an area of particular potential harm (as well as benefit!). As with younger children, it's important that technology is used in ways that are age-appropriate and balanced with other areas of life, but particularly as children get older, an all-or-nothing approach can cause more damage than good. Middle and high school is an important time for preteens and teens to learn how to navigate the online world and learn technology skills so they are ready to use technology safely and responsibly as adults and have the skills to reach their professional goals in the modern world.

I personally believe that children should be introduced to technology in limited quantities in elementary school if they have not been introduced to it before then. This is primarily so that they can begin learning how to use it safely, responsibly, and from a critical-thinking perspective before they get to the age where they are less willing to listen to and learn from adults. Elementary school is also a great time to introduce important technological skills they will likely need to some extent in the future such as computer science, data use and privacy, and cybersecurity.

A few tips for "big kids" and teens for screens at home:

• Discuss safe (such as how to stay safe online, how to protect your privacy, what to do in an uncomfortable situation, how to handle online strangers), responsible (media balance, being kind to others, how to handle digital drama) media use and how to critically evaluate what you see online (such as news and media literacy, how to evaluate sources, advertising tactics, "social media isn't reality") regularly in an age-appropriate way.
• Keep the lines of communication open. Emphasize that your child can always talk to you about their experiences online and, ideally, that they won't be in trouble for telling you if something happens that makes them uncomfortable.
• Limit screen use to "public" areas of the home like the living room or kitchen (for elementary schoolers particularly) so you are aware of what they are doing onscreen.
• Watch or play with your child at least occasionally. Ask them to show you the shows, games and apps they are using.
• Require that devices be charged in a public area of the home at night.
• Filter your home internet and consider a filtering and monitoring program for your child's device(s) when they are outside of your home.
• Take advantage of free parental controls, such as those that may be offered through your internet provider, device provider (Apple offers tons of built-in controls to limit time, ask parents for approval before downloading apps, etc.), and even the apps themselves.
• Be aware of the legal sign-up requirements for apps and games. Social media sites generally require users to be 13 years old to use them.
• Be aware of what is going on in the world in regards to kids/teens and the internet. Stay in the know about apps kids/teens are using to hide things on their phones, TikTok challenges that are popular, and other potentially harmful topics.
• Gradually release responsibility as your child/teen gets older. In my opinion, you don't want your teen going off to college or out into the world never having had free control over his or her media use or never having experienced social media.
• *Interesting tidbit for teens: Research has shown that there is a "goldilocks" amount of time for teens to spend on screens and social media. Both too much and too little can have negative impacts on their well-being. See the link at the end of this post for more details and sources.

Negative Impacts of Screen Media

Negative impacts of screen media for kids generally result from:

• Too much time spent on screens
• Too much passive use (versus interactive or creative use)
• Interacting with violent content, anti-social content, or content that is not age-appropriate
• Too much time spent on social media (or any time on social media before they are ready)

What are the potential negative impacts?

• Reduced attention
• Behavioral issues / acting out
• Less opportunities to build social skills and language
• Less opportunities for physical activity
• Disrupted sleep
• Screen addiction

What Do We Do?

As of the time of this writing, my daughter is about to be 18 months old. We have used FaceTime to chat with her grandparents and other family members who live far away every few days since she was a baby. We also introduced screen time during travel only (particularly on airplanes, for everyone's sanity) as she has gotten older. Another time we have used screen time before the official recommended guidelines has been when our whole family was sick. My husband also will sometimes let her watch a show on weekends while I get to sleep in (not my preference, but I'm at peace with it). We let her watch a show in a restaurant once recently so we could eat in peace (we were on a family vacation), which lasted all of 5 minutes until she still wanted to get out of the high chair. I would totally do it again when we're out, but would not regularly use screen time during mealtimes at home.

When she gets closer to 2 we will likely start allowing one show each weekend day for 30 minutes in the mornings. I do not feel a need for screen time on weekdays, since she is with a sitter or in school most of the day, and I want to spend the time we do have together... together! We will definitely continue using screens as a tool to ensure everyone arrives with their sanity intact when traveling (for planes and long road trips). As she gets older, we will continue to reevaluate and likely allow increasing amounts of high-quality screen use while still keeping the amount of time much less than she spends doing other activities. The world will probably be much different by the time she is a teen, but if she were a teen now we would likely allow social media in limited quantities and in a monitored way at 13 years old, then gradually release responsibility fully to her throughout high school.

The screen media my daughter has used so far has mostly been Ms. Rachel Songs for Littles (interactive, aimed at being educational, fairly slow-paced), Little Baby Bum or Super Simple Songs (she enjoys the songs, you could say they're aimed at being educational, and they're fairly slow-paced), and a few "learning" apps such as one that makes animal sounds when you touch the picture of the animal. We tried even slower-paced shows such as Mr. Rogers and Baby Animals, but they didn't hold her attention at all.

This essay not enough for you?😉 More screen time information, including specific recommendations for monitoring and filtering as well as additional reading ideas, can be found here.