How Can You Balance Screen Time and Analog Play for Healthier Kids?

Is Digital Media Hurting Your Child’s Development or Helping Them Grow?

Navigate the digital age with confidence using this review of Technology’s Child by Katie Davis. Learn how interactive apps affect executive function, why “good enough” parenting is the key to managing screen time, and how to foster creativity in a world dominated by algorithms.

Worried about your child’s digital diet? Read the full breakdown below to discover practical strategies for choosing age-appropriate apps and building healthier tech habits for the whole family.

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Are you concerned about how digital technology could affect your child’s development and wondering how best to use it? Author Katie Davis explores the profound effects of digital tools on young minds from early childhood through adolescence. She examines how technology influences social connections, mental health, and identity formation, revealing its potential harms and benefits. Through research and real-world examples, Davis highlights the need for thoughtful design, policy changes, and parental guidance to create healthier digital experiences.

Take-Aways

• Interactive technology can support the development of executive functions if children control how they engage with it and parents guide its use.
• Digital tools support children’s development best when they allow self-paced learning and social interaction.
• Balancing digital and analog play is essential to foster creativity, self-direction, and social skills.
• Digital technology’s potential in transforming middle childhood learning depends on closing the gap between its promise and use.
• Social media and smartphones create both challenges and opportunities in tween relationships with parents and peers.
• Social media platforms exploit teen vulnerabilities but can also foster creativity and community.
• Technology opens the gates for emerging adults to engage in public discourse but can also cause participation anxiety.
• Designers, parents, policymakers, and teachers must work together to design developmentally supportive technology.

Summary

Interactive technology can support the development of executive functions if children control how they engage with it and parents guide its use.

Over the years, children’s interaction with technology has shifted from passive TV watching to much more interactive forms of digital media, such as games on tablets and smartphones. When TV first became widespread, many people were concerned that it bypassed and, thus, hindered the development of children’s budding executive function skills — such as self-regulation, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

With the advent of smartphones and tablets and the rise of new apps and digital services aimed at children, such concerns have grown. Research suggests that these new technology forms — which often include interactive elements that respond to user actions like tapping, swiping, or speaking — can both support and hinder child development. For example, interactive educational apps can bolster specific executive function skills when they allow kids to engage with them at their own pace. However, apps that do not allow the child to control the pace and steps of the game or activity and that maintain engagement by other means — bright colors, sounds, and constant stimulation, for instance — can undermine these skills.

“Some interactive apps dictate the specific sequence and pacing of interactions, whereas others let children control how and at what pace they engage with them.”

Parents need to be mindful of what technology they allow their children to use. Opt for age-appropriate technology that offers educational content and set rules that limit screen time. Leave plenty of room in the schedule for family interactions and physical play, which are vital for healthy child development. Parents should also be aware of how their technology use affects their children. For example, technology-driven distractions like frequent phone checking can reduce the quality of parent-child interactions and model poor self-regulation. There is no perfect solution to how to handle today’s technology. Parents can aim for a “good-enough” approach by balancing screen time with active, engaged play with their children and being conscious of how technology integrates into daily life.

Digital tools support children’s development best when they allow self-paced learning and social interaction.

The ways that media encourage interaction can significantly affect how children develop literacy and social skills. For instance, picture books like Best First Book Ever! offer a quiet experience where children can playfully explore themed objects, actions and letters. They can connect what they see in the text with real-life objects, situations, or people. The children’s interest dictates the pace and focus of their interaction with the book’s content, making the experience personalized.

In contrast, many educational apps, like Endless Alphabet, prompt users to play, and feature loud sounds and animations that encourage users to interact at a certain pace — one they don’t set or control themselves. And often, these apps promise a reward for learning. While educational apps can enhance engagement and support learning, they sometimes lead young children to focus more on the entertaining or rewarding aspects rather than the educational content, potentially slowing the learning process.

“When parents are encouraged to join in with their children’s tech experiences, they can provide the personalized, just-in-time support that’s so valuable for early literacy development.”

Digital technology affects children’s learning in ways that vary greatly depending on whether the experience is socially contingent. For example, video chats with grandparents are real-time, back-and-forth exchanges that closely mimic face-to-face experiences, thus offering significant literacy and social development benefits.

The technology’s design also plays a vital role in determining its helpful or harmful effects. For example, fast-paced or overly stimulating features can hinder learning, especially in young children, as they have yet to develop fine motor skills and attention control.However, apps that allow self-pacing and have minimal distractions can support literacy development effectively.

Balancing digital and analog play is essential to foster creativity, self-direction, and social skills.

Play is essential for children’s development as it fosters cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Play helps children experiment with different roles, adapt to new situations, and learn to manage emotions. Social play, especially with peers, teaches cooperation, empathy, and conflict resolution. Pretend play — for example, when children pretend to be dragon hunters — helps develop children’s imaginations and symbolic thinking abilities. This capacity to think in creative ways contributes to problem-solving and understanding of different perspectives — crucial social skills.

“Play that’s open-ended and child-directed is generally best, especially in early childhood.”

Digital technology has transformed play. Modern children often shift between analog activities, where they build forts with sticks, and digital games, like Minecraft, where they build forts with digital bricks. While digital play offers new ways for children to learn and engage, research suggests that it may limit creativity compared to analog play, which encourages self-directed exploration. For instance, playing with loose parts like blocks promotes open-ended, imaginative play, whereas highly designed digital environments often direct children’s attention and limit the scope of their choices.

Parents should balance analog and digital play by allowing children to explore the natural world, ensuring that digital play doesn’t dominate or detract from the hands-on, creative experiences crucial for full development.

Digital technology’s potential in transforming middle childhood learning depends on closing the gap between its promise and use.

Digital technology can potentially transform the learning experience of six- to ten-year-old children by offering interactive and interest-driven learning opportunities. However, while engineers can design digital tools to engage children in meaningful learning experiences, such as inquiry-based learning or creative exploration, many schools fail to harness this potential. Instead, they often use technology to replicate existing classroom practices, like turning analog worksheets digital. To break this “curse of the familiar,” schools and educators should gradually change their learning and teaching processes and be open to new technologies.

“For incremental change to be successful, it requires that technology designers understand school contexts, and communicate and collaborate with teachers and administrators over the long term.”

Other challenges also limit the use of digital educational technology. In the United States, for example, many kids from low-income families or specific cultural backgrounds lack access to digital learning technologies or don’t get the social support to use them. Community plays a crucial role in promoting constructive digital learning for children. The support of teachers, peers, and family members enriches children’s digital experiences, allowing for collaborative learning and deeper engagement. To tackle this challenge, designers must collaborate with communities to design solutions specifically for them. One successful collaborative design example is the Comadre initiative, which connects underserved communities to learning opportunities by leveraging their social networks.

Social media and smartphones create both challenges and opportunities in tween relationships with parents and peers.

Social media and networked technologies have transformed the relationship between tweens — children between the ages of ten and fourteen — and their parents. For example, many parents view smartphones as safety tools that allow them to monitor their child’s whereabouts, while tweens see them as symbols of freedom and autonomy. This difference in perspective can lead to conflict, mainly when parents impose restrictions on smartphone use, which tweens may perceive as overbearing or mistrustful. The pressure for tweens to stay connected with their peers through social media adds another layer of complexity as they balance their desire for independence with their continued reliance on parental guidance and support.

“Technology is now a flashpoint for negotiating the delicate balance between separation and connection during early adolescence.”

Social media plays a significant role in shaping how tweens connect and communicate with their peers. While it can strengthen friendships by allowing tweens to share experiences and maintain constant contact, it also introduces risks. Social media can contribute to connection overload and heightened fear of missing out or receiving negative feedback and can enable cyberbullying. In the United States, around 20% of tweens report being exposed to cyberbullying, either as victims, witnesses, or aggressors. The anonymity and permanence of online interactions can intensify bullying, allowing harmful behaviors to spread quickly and persist even when those involved are not in shared physical spaces.

Open dialogue between parents, teachers, and tweens is essential to improve these dynamics. Supportive interventions, such as teaching tweens how to manage digital stress, mute notifications, and reframe their online experiences, can help reduce the adverse effects of social media while promoting healthier peer interactions.

Social media platforms exploit teen vulnerabilities but can also foster creativity and community.

Social media platforms significantly shape adolescents’ digital experiences by both preying on their vulnerabilities and enhancing their social interactions. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat encourage constant comparison and validation-seeking through metrics such as likes, comments, and view counts. For adolescents grappling with the stress of identity formation and heightened social sensitivity, these features can exacerbate existing insecurities. Many teens, particularly girls, feel pressured to edit their photos using filters to conform to appearance ideals, often taking several dozen selfies to attain one “Insta-worthy” picture.

Research shows that viewing idealized images can trigger negative self-comparison, leading to issues such as body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, and depression. Social media algorithms intensify these effects, creating a loop that keeps teens engaged while heightening their vulnerabilities.

“Many teens report diminished well-being after losing an hour (or six) at the hands of…algorithmic rabbit holes.”

However, technology can also enrich adolescents’ lives by providing avenues for self-expression and community. Many teens use digital platforms to explore and share creative content: Some make fun TikTok videos, others find creative inspiration on YouTube or share personal stories with trusted friends. Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram also enable teens to form meaningful social bonds by offering spaces to connect through shared interests and experiences. Some teens actively resist the pressures of social comparison by following body-positive movements (#BoPo) or maintaining private “finstagrams” — fake Instagram accounts — where they can post more authentic, unfiltered content for close friends. These adaptive strategies help teens harness technology for positive experiences, allowing them to use it for self-discovery and peer support while mitigating its more harmful aspects.

Technology opens the gates for emerging adults to engage in public discourse but can also cause participation anxiety.

Emerging adults — people between nineteen and twenty-five — can use networked technologies to engage with social issues in ways that allow them to express their voices publicly and connect with broader movements. Online platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr have become central to their activism, enabling them to raise awareness, share personal stories, and mobilize for causes such as racial justice, climate change, and immigration reform. For example, following the Parkland shooting, students used Twitter and the hashtag #NeverAgain to raise awareness of gun violence and organize protests to influence public discussions.

“The use of hashtags by Black Lives Matter activists has proven key to sustaining attention online.”

However, there are also various downsides to social media activism. Constantly being exposed to graphic images, like police brutality, for example, can cause high levels of emotional strain. Moreover, activists often encounter online harassment and content exploitation. The pressure to stay engaged can lead to burnout, as people feel compelled to respond to every issue, manage their public image, and navigate the complexities of online discourse.

Designers, parents, policymakers, and teachers must work together to design developmentally supportive technology.

To support children’s development, technology designers must stop building manipulative and addictive digital experiences. Instead, they must put children at the center of their approach and start creating tools that allow flexibility of use, self-direction, and meaningful engagement with others. Designers should collaborate with experts in child development and diverse communities to ensure their technologies address a wide range of needs, abilities, and cultural contexts, providing equitable experiences for children of all social, cultural and economic backgrounds.

“It has also underscored the need for more research to help stakeholders make evidence-based decisions when it comes to kids and technology.”

Policymakers should introduce regulations that incentivize tech companies to prioritize child well-being. The UK’s Age-Appropriate Design Code could serve as an example: It prompted platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to make positive changes, such as introducing a “take a break” reminder and turning off “default autoplay features” for young kids.

Parents can engage in shared, educational digital activities with their children while modeling healthy tech habits. Teachers should focus on open-ended, interest-driven educational technologies that align with universal design for learning and guide students through conversations about online engagement’s challenges and opportunities, fostering critical thinking and digital literacy skills.

About the Author

Katie Davis is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington (UW) and Director of the UW Digital Youth Lab, which explores the transformative potential of new and future technologies in young people’s lives.