Limiting screen time for children

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Becca. Neil, I’ve noticed that you’re pretty good at not checking your phone at work. How much time do you spend on your phone outside of work?

Yes, I probably was. You know, Becca, I spend far too much time looking at my phone, and I really don't like it. How about you?

I don't think you're alone. I also spend way too much time looking at my phone.

Well, Becca, we are both adults, but today we're talking about screen time and children screen time. Screen time - that’s how much time you spend using devices like smart phones, tablets and laptops.

Yes, and it’s a particular worry of many parents that their children spend too much time on these devices. At the end of last year, Australia banned access to social media apps for under 16s, and countries like the UK are considering similar measures.

So, why is this? In this episode, we'll hear from a clinical psychologist and research associate at the University of Cambridge talking about screentime and children. As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. And remember, you'll find all this episode's vocabulary, along with a transcript, on our website,

But first Neil, I have a question for you. According to The UK media regulator, how many children aged three to four have a smartphone? Is it: a) one in twenty b) one in ten, or c) one in five?

Wow. Well, I'm going to guess 1 in 20, but I think it's probably more than that.

Well, we'll find out the answer later. Dr Emily Goodacre is a research associate at the University of Cambridge. Here, she tells Shiona McCallum, presenter of BBC World Service programme, Tech Life, her thoughts on whether we should take away children’s screen devices completely.

Yeah, I think it's not as much as getting them away from technology but being intentional about how we use technology with children. For me, the bar absolutely needs to be higher, and therefore I think about how to design products that think about childhood first and really think about how children at different stages learn and develop and then see if there's a way that technology can enable that.

Emily highlights how, rather than stopping children from using technology, parents need to be more intentional about how their children use it. An intention is a plan or reason to do something. So, to be intentional is to act with that plan or reason in mind. It may make you act more carefully as a result.

Emily also says the bar needs to be higher. The idiom the bar is low means that the standards, expectations, or requirements are minimal and very easy to meet. Therefore, she believes that the bar needs to be higher – parents need to make their expectations higher. They need to think or act more carefully when considering how much time children spend with technology. You might also hear people say set the bar higher or lower.

Emily believes that being more intentional and setting the bar higher will enable children to learn and develop alongside technology. If you enable something, you encourage somebody’s ability to do something, or to make something possible.

Now let’s hear Dr Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and founder of an online parenting platform, talking about how parents feel about tech and children, for BBC World Service programme, Tech Life:

I find parents are very, very eager to understand what's really happening around technology in kids and then have practical, realistic things they can do in their home to make little shifts that feel better.

Becky has found that many parents are eager to understand their children’s use of technology. Eager is an adjective that describes wanting to do or have something very much.

Becky also talks about making little shifts. A shift is a small change. It can be used as a verb or a noun. Becky shares an example of a shift that can help parents reduce children’s screen time, moving the device somewhere it can’t be seen:

You can even say to a kid, you know why I moved it? It's actually because it's a really hard thing for me to expect from you, to see a screen in a room and not want to use it. I wasn't setting you up for success.

Becky explains how it’s difficult for children to be expected to reduce their screen time if they can see their device. Having the device in view doesn’t set them up for success. If you set someone up for something, you prepare them for it.

Yes. For example, earlier, I set Neil up for a shock when I asked him a question about screen time. Neil, I asked you, according to The UK media regulator, how many children ages three to four have a smartphone.

And I said 1 in 20.

Well, it is in fact, see 1 in 5.

Wow. I thought it might be more than I said. Now, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with intentional. It’s an adjective that describes acting with a plan or reason in mind.

We had the expression the bar needs to be higher. To set the bar higher is to make your expectations higher.

We also had enable. This is to encourage someone’s ability to do something, or to make something possible.

To be eager is to want to do or have something very much.

A shift is a small change. You can also use it as verb with to mean changing something slightly.

And if you set someone up for something, you prepare them for it. Once again, our six minutes are up. If you enjoyed this episode, you'll find a quiz and worksheet See you again soon. But for now, it's goodbye.

Goodbye!