Teens spend on average 6.5 hours a day on screens of all sizes, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Foundation. Kids spend an average of 9 hours a day on media--so this includes listening to music, which is not included in the screen time figure (Common Sense Media recent survey). To reduce screen time, the screen time hours need to be replaced with other activities. Afterschool programs are one solution to helping kids find interests outside of social media, online content and video games.
One myth about kids is that they are over-scheduled and deserve downtime. In fact, according to The Afterschool Alliance’s “American After 3 p.m.” study, 40% of kids the U.S. do not have access to afterschool activities, which means that disadvantaged kids are spending much more time online than advantaged kids.
Afterschool programs not only offer ways for kids to spend time away from screens, they often actively discourage their use. My daughter’s ballet school, for example, doesn’t allow use of phones in the dance studio. If students absolutely must make a call or send a text, they can do so during the break but never in the studio during class. Our son plays sax which is impossible to do while holding a phone!
Research from the Afterschool Alliance found big improvements in school attendance and better test scores when kids have activities after school. The more often a child attends an after school program and the longer the program lasts, the better the academic outcomes. Children’s behavior improves as well as their self esteem.
Check out the Afterschool Alliance’s America’s Afterschool Storybook to see how these programs can change lives. A few examples include a young woman who took her first judo class through an afterschool program and is now a national champion and a young man who started dancing at age 11 at the Wooden Floor, a nonprofit dance studio in Santa Ana, CA.
Teens spend on average 6.5 hours a day on screens of all sizes, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Foundation. Kids spend an average of 9 hours a day on media--so this includes listening to music, which is not included in the screen time figure (Common Sense Media recent survey). To reduce screen time, the screen time hours need to be replaced with other activities. Afterschool programs are one solution to helping kids find interests outside of social media, online content and video games.
One myth about kids is that they are over-scheduled and deserve downtime. In fact, according to The Afterschool Alliance’s “American After 3 p.m.” study, 40% of kids the U.S. do not have access to afterschool activities, which means that disadvantaged kids are spending much more time online than advantaged kids.
Afterschool programs not only offer ways for kids to spend time away from screens, they often actively discourage their use. My daughter’s ballet school, for example, doesn’t allow use of phones in the dance studio. If students absolutely must make a call or send a text, they can do so during the break but never in the studio during class. Our son plays sax which is impossible to do while holding a phone!
Research from the Afterschool Alliance found big improvements in school attendance and better test scores when kids have activities after school. The more often a child attends an after school program and the longer the program lasts, the better the academic outcomes. Children’s behavior improves as well as their self esteem.
Check out the Afterschool Alliance’s America’s Afterschool Storybook to see how these programs can change lives. A few examples include a young woman who took her first judo class through an afterschool program and is now a national champion and a young man who started dancing at age 11 at the Wooden Floor, a nonprofit dance studio in Santa Ana, CA.
Cooking creates self-confidence, self-efficacy and is a great offline activity. Today, I have some food moves to help inspire your child to up their cooking game — whether they are naysayers or Chez Panisse wannabes, I think they’ll like these.
READ MORE >Plain and simple, there is one thing I recommend doing during the holidays for love and laughter. Bring out old photo albums and put them in a high-trafficked spot in your home — be it the kitchen table or a table in a living room. I predict we won’t have photo albums in the future, but we do right now.
READ MORE >We all know tech gifts are a big part of the holiday season, but as always, I offer tech-free ideas today. I am not putting down tech — many wonderful tech gifts will get exchanged this year, but I hope you will find this tech-free list to be a bit helpful.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.