[MEDIA] Talking about #Screentime with @EddieNestorMBE on @BBCRadioLondon

Further to my pieces with Premier Radio and Hits Radio earlier, I then had a conversation with Eddie Nestor on Drivetime for BBC Radio London

in response to the RCPCH report:

In a UK first, we are launching guidance to help parents manage children’s #screentime. We believe that we need to “let parents be parents”, so our guidance supports parents in adjusting screen use based on what is important to them and their child: https://t.co/3q4ZC5Gpkq pic.twitter.com/302fMLoBya

— RCPCH (@RCPCHtweets) January 4, 2019

Always like to recommend Sonia Livingstone’s work (and I might finally have a thought for what I want to write for the LSE blog):

Stop watching the #screentime clock and instead consider how your child is – learning, sleeping, socialising, healthy, or not? Screens are part of family life, bringing both benefits and harms. As we said at https://t.co/xNPIEMSsPRhttps://t.co/xSrXqKMEzRhttps://t.co/D2AmQ1Ywfz

— Sonia Livingstone (@Livingstone_S) January 4, 2019

Also, if we’re going to talk gaming (including Fortnite), I’ll refer people to Andy Robertson, and his forthcoming book Taming Gaming, whilst he also recommends this book coming up from Pete Etchells:

“We need to stick to advising parents to do what they do well, which is to balance the [screen time] risks and benefits.” Good advice but more resources and actual game examples needed to help steer children to healthy screen diet. #screentime #platetime https://t.co/rQHP3RAr2g

— Andy Robertson (@GeekDadGamer) January 4, 2019

And something else I picked up on earlier:

Yes. This! On @PremierRadio this morning was saying what about if think about similar arguments about books – I used to read my books via hallway light, and had to put it down for meals! #screentime https://t.co/w5W3nOaU7V

— Dr Bex Lewis (@drbexl) January 4, 2019

And as I said:

These new UK guidelines reflect other recent research: it’s not screen time that matters, but what kids are actually watching/playing/doing, and whether it’s having a negative effect on family life. If it’s not, stop worrying! https://t.co/K4Fra4esqa

— Keza MacDonald (@kezamacdonald) January 4, 2019

As always, I thought of many more things I could have said on listening back to it afterwards, and I carried on listening to the programme as Eddie interviewed other people who definitely didn’t agree with me!

I do agree with some of what Karen said… it’s about what, it’s not how long. #screentime #moralpanic https://t.co/VRfuRqginL

— Dr Bex Lewis (@drbexl) January 4, 2019

See also this response from James on structural inequalities affecting children:

a long post before christmas, so icymi as the #newterm starts, on education and how the awareness of being part of a system has depressed young people (not screens.. @drbexl!) https://t.co/xYX1v8biBZ #ywchat #youthmin #education

— James Ballantyne (@JamesOSM) January 4, 2019