When I look back at my childhood, I have fond memories of watching
movies and television with my family members. We would gather in the kitchen,
popping popcorn, and queuing up the DVD player. I’d ask each family member what
they’d like to drink and then we’d take our places snuggled up on the couch. I
don’t remember half of the movies that we watched together, I remember the
feeling of being together as one family.
Before I became a Waldorf teacher, I studied and received a
degree in Electronic Media. I learned the ins and outs of video production and
all that goes into the technical work, planning, writing, and editing. I feel
that this background has given me an even stronger understanding of how
powerful media is and how important it is that we are cautious in the ways
young children are exposed to it.
In Waldorf pedagogy, children are discouraged from media
influence until they are much older. I often get questions about why these
activities are discouraged and meet many families who view the exposure to
media as insignificant or just a natural part of parenthood today.
The young child is a do-er. Everything in the world for the
young child is to be explored through all the senses. They want to touch,
taste, feel, smell, see, and hear everything. Their bodies are growing and
becoming acquainted with gravity and space. They need to move, jump, dance,
flip, slide, hang, swing, skip, run, crawl and so much more to test their
bodies, learn their boundaries, and feel comfortable in their skin. If the
young child is spending time in front of a screen, they are missing out on
these crucial experiences for healthy development. When they are using a
screen, they are missing out on more diverse learning experiences. They may be
learning abstract facts if it’s educational, but they aren’t experiencing it
for themselves and thus are not making lasting connections.
Screen time can interrupt healthy social development. When
the adults in a child’s life are looking at their cell phones as they wait in
line, sit in the corner during family gatherings, and at restaurants, the child
is learning that screen time is appropriate in these situations. Children
imitate the actions of adults in their environment and learn what it is to be
human from them. Because of such, they want to use devices, too. When a child
is using a device, they are not interacting socially with the world around
them. They do not need to answer questions, order food, talk to relatives, or practice
interpersonal skills. Instead, they are
sitting in awe of the device with their heads in their laps.
These days, parents are particular about the types of food children
eat, friends they play with, and experiences they have. We want our children to
sleep well and feel safe. Despite this call for safety, the content of media is
often neglected. Media is created by
people who are interested in making money. The virtues, values, and intentions
of these producers are not always clear. I find it striking that many will
allow their child to consume media without deeply considering its content or
message. Some popular children’s programs seem innocent on the surface but are often
geared toward tacit adult humor and promote unhealthy relationships through
sarcastic dialogue and mean-spirited plots.
The last time I went to dinner, I observed a family of five
sitting together at a table. Two young boys, under the age of 6 were glued to devices,
while the older sister sat staring and waiting for her turn. Mom and dad sat at
the table in silence, looking at their own devices. An elderly couple sitting
next to the family, greeted the father and attempted to begin a conversation.
It soon fizzled out as the children continued to stare into their screens. The
waitress came over for the order, the children stayed glued. Mom ordered the
food for the whole table and then went back to looking at her device. The food
was brought to the table and the children stayed glued. The one boy reached out
to grab a French fry without breaking his gaze. If this family had put away
their devices, what learning opportunities might the children have had? Would
they have had the chance to practice social skills, introductions, conversation,
and ordering skills? This scene is becoming increasingly common.
Yet, I’m not advocating for a media free life. Many
television programs, movies, and video games are beautiful pieces of art that
can be deeply moving and offer new experiences and ways of thinking. The young
child needs to grow into his body and be involved in his environment before he
is ready to process the overwhelming stimuli offered by contemporary screen media.
