by Stephanie Thomas

Today’s parents are of the age where we can say things like: 

“Back in my day . . . watching TV meant being welcomed into the neighborhood by Mr. Rogers and encouraged by LeVar Burton to look for answers to life’s questions in a book.”

Those were the good ol’ days. Now, here we are raising kids in a time where Oxford declares the word of the year is brain rot. 

Yep. It means what you think it means: the breakdown of a person’s emotions and intelligence as a result of consuming too much meaningless content. Can anyone relate?

Thankfully, the good ol’ days are still within reach. With a little understanding of the science surrounding screens, we can help our kids choose slow and gentle shows like we used to enjoy. 

In this article we’ll discuss: 

• The science on screen time and kids
• Why not all screens are created equal
• The value of low-stimulation shows
• How to fight screen time problems with screen time
• What to look for in choosing high-quality programming
• Five shows you might want to check out this week 

What Research Tells Us About Kids and Screen Time

Let’s start with a few sobering facts, shall we?

A 2023 study found that the average age when children begin to regularly interact with screens is four months old. In 1970? The age for routine TV watching was four years. The good ol’ days.

Now, nearly half of all children eight and under have their own tablet device. And by age eight, today’s kids are spending four to six hours per day on screens, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

This, despite the fact that kids still love to play and goof around and would often be much happier if we turned the TV off after an hour, as recommended by Common Sense Media. 

So what gives? 

We can blame a chemical in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine offers kids a boost of feel-good energy while doing things like jumping rope, laughing with friends or finally acing that spelling test. 

In the real world, achieving the natural high offered by dopamine often takes work. But screens hand out dopamine hits left and right. And when we turn them off, the dopamine well runs dry, leaving kids feeling cranky and annoyed.  

Screen Time Hierarchy

The truth is: not all screen time is created equal. And some dopamine hits come faster and easier than others. 

Michael Rich—a pediatrician, professor and director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital—put it this way: “It’s not how long we’re using screens that really matters; it’s how we’re using them and what’s happening in our brains in response.” 

In other words: what our kids consume and the way they consume should hold as much weight as how long they’re consuming it. 

And while—violent and inappropriate content aside—using screens as a form of entertainment in moderation is a-okay with us, we can consult expert advice to help us rank kids’ media options. 

Rich likens video games and social media to the experience of pulling the lever on a slot machine—low effort for seemingly big rewards. Research shows us that computer use and video games can be linked with depression and/or anxiety in kids. And Child Behavioral Expert, Jennifer Cross, believes YouTube is “generally bad for young children” because of the unregulated content and endless loops of videos available. 

Science does tell us that there can be positive outcomes from all forms of screen time. Kids can learn to problem solve through video games and learn to recognize letters and shapes from YouTube or learn to type on a computer. 

But television is by and large the only form of media where experts agree that risks are low. 

High-Stimulation Versus Low-Stimulation Shows

If TV is our best bet, does it matter which shows our kids watch? The answer is . . . no and yes. 

Sometimes, no, it won’t matter if your kid snuggles up for an episode of Bluey or SpongeBob SquarePants. Thirty minutes is thirty minutes, right? 

But when we’re looking at the big picture of television consumption—meaning the types of show your kids watch over the course of weeks, months or years then, yes, content matters. 

Let’s talk about why. Remember the brain chemical, dopamine, that we discussed earlier? 

Some shows get really generous with handing this out. They do this by changing scenes with lightning speed, adding lots of color to the screen and plenty of reasons to keep a kid engaged. Shows like this are called “high stimulation” and The Science Survey likens them to a drug. 

When kids see life on a screen as fun and fast-paced, real life begins to feel boring by comparison. And this “drug” has real-world side-effects. One study found that kids who watched a high-stimulation show struggled to maintain self control and pay attention in age-appropriate ways once the show ended. 

Low stimulation shows, on the other hand, portray life at a reasonable pace. 

They allows kids to move from passive entertainment to engaged entertainment—where they play, create and learn through interaction alongside friends or family or settle into independent play in a real-world setting. 

Fight Screen Time Problems By Getting Choosy

Did you know that we can actually fight screen time issues with screen time? After all, sometimes kids need a break—and sometimes we need them to take a break, too. 

Research clearly shows that parents can have a huge positive impact on their children’s screen usage and outcomes. So get choosy. 

The beloved show of our youth, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, sets a wonderful example. He walked children through realistic portrayals of the world—jobs, friendships, conflict and more—all at a pace that resembled what kids might experience when they turned off the TV. 

Over the course of one episode, scene changes occurred three times on average. That’s three times in 30 minutes. Low stimulation at its finest! Modern shows that take a high-stimulation approach change scenes every five to eleven seconds. Yes, seconds! That’s at least 163 scene changes in a 30-minute episode. 

It’s no wonder experts encourage parents to choose high-quality programming for kids. This one switch alone can make a massive difference in your child’s media consumption and the benefits that follow. 

How to Choose High-Quality Children’s Programming

Okay, so maybe you’re on board with adding low-stimulation shows to your child’s media diet. That’s awesome! But you might be wondering . . . Is it just Mr. Rogers and LeVar Burton and Bluey? How do I find other shows my child might enjoy?

Like we said, the good ol’ days are still within reach. 

Here’s what you can look for to find high-quality programming for your kid: 

• A pace that matches real life (or is even slower)
• A volume and color scheme that leans more subtle than overt
• Meaningful interactions between characters on the screen (or from screen to child)

As you begin to introduce more low-stimulation shows, it will get easier and easier to identify ones that fit the criteria above. 

Five Slow and Gentle Shows to Try On Minno

Of course, we can’t leave you with all this information without pointing you in the right direction. Here are five of our favorite slow and gentle shows on Minno that you might want to try in the coming weeks and months: 

 

Pins and Nettie (ages 3-5)

Awesome Animals and Mini Me (ages 3-5)

Guitar & Drum (ages 3-5)

God’s Greenhouse (ages 3-5)

Theo (ages 6-8)