I’m going to keep saying it: screens are not harmful to children
A rigorous study based on a sample of more than 12,000 children in the United States shows that exposure to screens causes no cognitive impairment or negative effects on their brains, cognition or well-being, hopefully bringing to an end once and for all to the moral panic of recent years.
When it comes to children’s exposure to screens, common sense applies: they need to be educated about how to use them properly, which means avoiding overuse and certain types of material, pretty much in the same way as we teach our children about all other kinds of consumption. But there is no room for talk about “dangers”.
From time to time, all kinds of voices advocate not allowing children to use smartphones and computers at certain ages, alleging terrible damages. This is what was once said about printed material, then about television, then Walkmans (deafness and traffic accidents! ) Down through the ages, just about every new technology has provoked moral panic among the ignorant, but we never seem to learn that humanity is adept at adapting to new realities, and that our brains learn to use the technology.
The current moral panic is based on the fallacy that “we must protect the children”, an end that has been used time and again to justify almost any means.
