Every once in a while, new research comes along and makes parents feel as though somebody moved the floor beneath them. For years, many of us have heard a fairly simple story about screens: more is worse. Then a study comes along suggesting that greater screen time throughout childhood and adolescence is associated with better cognitive processing in teenagers, as measured by attention and working memory. Before anybody runs out to buy an eight year old a tablet for Christmas, the broader research remains much more complicated. Other studies discussed in the podcast have associated heavy or early screen exposure with attention problems, anxiety, altered brain development, emotional regulation concerns, and other negative outcomes. Maybe the lesson is not that everything we knew was wrong. Maybe the lesson is that “screen time” was always too blunt a category.

When I was growing up, one of the rules of childhood was remarkably simple: come home when the streetlights come on. Somewhere between breakfast and those lights flickering to life, kids figured out what to do. We found people. Invented games. Changed the rules halfway through. Argued about whether somebody was actually out. Got bored and started something new. Childhood today can look very different. In our genuine effort to keep children safe, we can schedule, supervise, organize, and improve so much of their lives that we accidentally remove the very experiences through which they learn to handle life.

Something interesting may be happening with teenagers and social media. For years, adults have been the ones warning children that too much time online might not be good for them. Now a growing number of teens appear to be reaching a similar conclusion themselves. In the data we discussed on the Celebrate Kids Podcast, nearly half of teens surveyed said social media has a mostly negative effect on teenagers, a notable increase from just a few years earlier. More teens are also saying they spend too much time there. I find that encouraging, but I do not think parents should celebrate too quickly. Recognizing that something is not working is not the same as knowing what to replace it with.