Chapter 32: Exercises

Comprehension Check

1. What are the AAP screen time recommendations for each age group? What is the evidence base for each? 2. Why does content matter more than total screen time? 3. What is the strongest evidence-based finding about screens and sleep? 4. Why is the "screens vs. what?" comparison problem important? 5. Why don't evidence-derived safe screen time thresholds exist?

Application

6. Track a child's (or your own) screen time for one week. Categorize by type: educational, passive entertainment, social, creative, functional. What patterns do you notice? 7. Apply the toolkit to: "More than 2 hours of screen time per day harms children's development." 8. Implement one evidence-based change: no screens in the hour before bedtime. Track sleep quality for one week. 9. Find three parenting articles about screen time. Does each cite evidence? Does each acknowledge the limitations of the evidence? 10. Compare the content your child (or a child you know) consumes. Is there a mix of educational and passive? How could the ratio be improved?

Critical Thinking

11. Parents feel guilty about screen time despite weak evidence for harm. Is this guilt productive (motivating better choices) or counterproductive (creating anxiety without clear guidance)? 12. The evidence for content mattering more than time is well-supported. Why do guidelines focus on minutes rather than content quality? 13. If no evidence-derived threshold exists, how should parents make decisions about screen time? What framework would be more useful than a specific number? 14. The comparison problem: for a child with abundant alternatives, screens may displace beneficial activities. For a child in an unsafe neighborhood with few alternatives, screens may be neutral. How should guidelines account for this variation? 15. The screen time debate parallels earlier panics (TV in the 1950s, video games in the 1990s). Is the current panic different, or is it the same pattern with a new technology?

Fact-Check Portfolio

16. If any of your 10 claims involve children's screen time, update your evidence rating based on this chapter.