Should Screen Time be Reduced for Kids?

Should Screen Time be Reduced for Kids?

“You know what…I am very happy today as now I am able to jog at a steady pace for 30 minutes effortlessly”, shared an exuberant Renu Sharma (Renu) as she settled at the dining table. She received an immediate applause from all others. Renu and her family were having a relaxed Saturday dinner with Sonali’s and Anju’s families.

Rajiv (Renu’s husband): Renu, you should take along ‘your son’ also for these jogging sessions every evening. He has become so lazy and chubby of late.

Renu: I wish, Rajiv… but he is never interested. Either he is on my mobile chatting with friends or watching some show on the tab or “trying to do” some school work. He is 8 years old now and should naturally be attracted to sporting activities. But it’s never been the case. Even when he is with friends, I see them just staring at some screen and the football is tucked under the arm. I do not understand this obsession for screens. Anyway…the food looks so sumptuous, let’s get started. But, where are the kids?

Sonali: Where else? All of them are glued to one or the other screen…They are watching some magic show right now on their tabs…

Renu: When these five kids are meeting after quite a while, shouldn’t they be playing rather than spending their time on these gadgets?

Anju: This has really become a menace…children nowadays cannot think of anything other than screens – be it the TV, tab, mobile or laptop. My 4 year old won’t eat till I play the show of her choice on the laptop.

Exhibits

Exhibit I: Top Four Findings on Kids and Gadget Use

Should Screen Time be Reduced for Kids?

Preamble

The purpose of this Teaching Plan is neither to outline the answers to Case Debate’s discussion questions nor to suggest an ideal way of conducting an effective debate basis the given topic. It is more to share the authors’ perspectives, basis their classroom orchestration of this Case Debate, on possible ways of orchestrating this Case Debate.

Purpose of Case Debate

Purpose of this Case Debate, which is a prelude to the Case Method of Teaching, is to inculcate the following skills [Exhibit (TP)-I] that would amply benefit the participants during their careers.......

As this Case Debate is based on a very generic topic, the purpose is not to dwell into only the research-based inputs but more to prepare the students/participants for the process of case discussion – except that while the case discussion would be based on the case facts, the Case Debate encourages the students/participants to present their ideas with no rigorous business dilemma...................

Exhibits

Exhibit (TP)-I: CASE DEBATE – SKILL SCOPING

Exhibit (TP)-II: Categories of Screen Time

Exhibit (TP)-III: Guidelines for Kids for Screen Time

Exhibit (TP)-IV: Classroom Orchestration Plan – Should Screen Time be Reduced for Kids?