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Folks who spend any amount of time in the picture book sections of libraries may have noticed a recent thematic trend about children and technology. Books like hello! hello!, Unplugged: Ella Gets Her Family Back, and Doug Unplugged are examples of a number of new books that feature kids who want more time with the adults in their lives, more imaginative play, more time with nature – and less time with TV, computers, and apps.
Kathy Kleckner of Dakota County Libraries discussed the role that screen time plays in early literacy development for kids between the ages of zero and five. She set the stage by reviewing the guidance the library community provides on literacy development via the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR2) early literacy program. The most positive influences on child development are face-to-face interaction (with adults), manipulating the physical world, and open-ended free play.
Can screen time support any of these influences? There is indeed no research that shows that any kind of screen time is truly educational. Studies showing positive correlation between media and learning simply do not exist. But, a number of sources chart an increase in screen time for kids in recent years nonetheless (such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Neilsen Company, and Northwestern University). And some posit negative repercussions of this increased screen time, including attention problems, sleep disorders, obesity, emotional isolation, and others.
With that increased screen time in mind, Kleckner shared a disturbing statistic: 40% of Minnesota children do not meet kindergarten school readiness standards. (As an aside, “only” 15% of Minnesota children live in poverty.) There is a direct predictive correlation between readiness in kindergarten and grade three, and school readiness at this early age dictates success throughout the school years and into adulthood.
There are a lot of moving pieces at play here. But given the possible negative effects of screen time on child development, the dearth of evidence about positive effects, and the foundational importance of development at an early age, what role should libraries play in connecting small children with technology? Anything beyond a place for Doug, Ella, and other young ones to unplug?
