Youth Development Insight

By Jessica Pierson Russo When it came to screen time, as a parent of young children, I was never fully confident about what I should and shouldn’t let my children do. Fortunately, there are better parent resources now than when my own children were younger (see the American Academy of Pediatrics for recommendations on how to limit screen time based on age ). But as youth work professionals, what can our role be in helping youth and their caregivers find the right balance, especially for those younger ages?  The first thing we can do is be well-informed on the issue. Excessive screen time can interfere with developmental milestones in younger children, including language acquisition, social skill development, and physical coordination. The fast-paced and highly stimulating content of screen activities can also cause attention and focus issues with slower-paced activities such as reading and playing with toys. One study found that excessive screen time simulated for mice strongly impac