I often get the train up and down my small island, from London to Edinburgh and back again. It’s a delightful four and a half hour train ride with my 5 year old and partner. On the other end of which we’re greeted by the smiling faces of my parents and extended family. Once we arrive there my daughter runs around, out-talks everyone with her stories and get’s everyone playing games (of the role-play or board game variety).
I did this train journey yesterday back down to London and we did our usual prep of downloading some episodes of kids TV shows and having some games on the ready on my phone.
Some lucky timing meant that the new game Monument Valley 2 was released the day before so I downloaded that too. My daughter and I have played Monument Valley 1 many, many times together. She plays for a bit and then I jump in when she gets stuck. We talk a lot about the journey the characters take while we’re playing it. Monument Valley 2 has two characters; a mum and daughter. Spoiler alert!; at some point the Mum sends the daughter off to continue an independent quest. As this happens my daughter tears up a little, tries to hold it back and then follows with a waterfall of tears asking when they’ll meet again. The passenger opposite us, who had been watching us play, smiles at us and we take a break to talk about what’s happening in the game before continuing.
We played Monument Valley for 2.5 hours straight. Am I worried about this ‘screen time’?…. If I google ‘screen time for children’ I will conclude that I have probably damaged her for life! But this was a playful, engaging, social, clearly emotional and meaningful way for us to spend our time on our train journey. It also all happened via a screen.
As parents we all worry about doing the right thing but that also means that we have heightened anxiety around stuff that may not be harmful for children. We’ve not grown up with computers in our pockets and on our laps so it adds to the fear of what the affects might be. We’re writing and reading many articles about screen time; how much is good or bad, the potential affects it will have and what age to allow screen time. While too much of any one thing is not great, we’re not reading or writing articles about limiting ‘book time’ because it’s a stationary activity!
It’s time to take the focus off the medium that’s delivering content and instead focus on the actual content itself. It is possible to play, learn and create using a screen. I remember using Photoshop and Illustrator for the first time, they’re both on a screen but they didn’t reduce my desire to draw and be creative but actually increased it.
I see technology toys that are advertised proudly as not having a screen and I don’t think that’s a good enough sell. The toy has to be fun, engaging, inspiring and useable which will sometimes mean the toy has a screen.
As a parent, I’m advocating my child uses screens to play, when they’re relevant, and as the founder of a toy startup I’m thinking beyond them rather than boycotting them.
by Aisha YusafFounder of Peeka, a new company making the future of photography for kids.