Screens Are Winning

The silent cost of keeping our children constantly entertained

8 hours a day

That’s how much time American teenagers are spending in front of screens.

Technology is sold to us as something that enhances our education, productivity, and connections with one another.

But anyone can see that’s not how it’s playing out.

Last Tuesday, I was in Phoenix visiting a friend.

Waiting for our table outside a busy ramen house, I saw a young boy, maybe 4 years old, sobbing uncontrollably as his mom tried in vain to console him.

10 minutes later, we were in our booth scanning the appetizers, and the mom and the boy came back in. He was still crying.

Then the strangest thing happened. She sat down, and he immediately reached for something on the chair next to him.

An iPad.

In seconds, he was completely silent.

Well, at least until the dinner was gone and his mom packed away the iPad, and the meltdown came roaring back.

I’m tired of pretending that screens aren’t negatively affecting our kids.

You’ve noticed it too. A day without screens, and suddenly your kid has more energy.

They talk more. They play more. They engage more.

Science backs this up.

Studies published by the NIH show that excessive screen time is linked to problems in social and emotional development.

Screens are making our kids fat, destroying their sleep, alongside the increases in depression and anxiety…

All because we’ve allowed screens to hijack our dopamine systems constantly.

We feel like our kids shouldn’t be bored, so we hand them a screen.

But boredom is exactly what they need.

Think about how your imagination developed when you were a kid.

It happened in those moments when there was nothing to do. The slow summers when friends were busy, and the days felt like they would never end.

Out of that boredom, your creativity came alive.

Maybe you made imaginary friends, invented a new game, or explored grandpa’s barn. Whatever it was for you, it transformed the way you think forever

We’re robbing our kids of that.

So here’s my challenge to you:

This week, take a family night away from the screens.

Make some cookies, build a blanket fort, and have a pillow fight

Hell, pitch a tent in the backyard.

Let’s teach our kids to be bored again.

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