Former Canadian Olympian Silken Laumann has been campaigning to pry youngsters away from their screens.
It seems our children are spending an average of six hours a day in front of screens – seven on weekends. At first glance the figure seems excessive. But take an hour playing electronic games in the morning before school, add a couple of hours of television, another hour or two on the computer to check Facebook and research a study project, and slip in text messages to and from friends as often as possible -  six hours seems fairly accurate, perhaps a bit on the low side.
Our children seem to have taken that old television commercial from Grandma's day to heart – live better electrically. But is it really better? Laumann and many others would like to change the catchy slogan to, “Live better electronics-free.” They have their work cut out for them.
The people who came up with the idea for the ad probably never dreamed their grandchildren would require electronic communications devices to socialize, do schoolwork, and be entertained. In fact, many of the younger set could not imagine life without their screens.
One can just hear the wails of, “But how could I talk to my friends?” One can also envision the disdainful glares that would greet a suggestion of, “Go outside and play with them.” Our children include in the “friends” category people they see every day at school, the playmate from pre-school who moved to Vancouver but texts people from the old 'hood regularly, and kids they have never met face-to-face who hang out in the same chat rooms and/or play the same games online.
Even the most computer-savvy parents tend to have issues with Junior's definition of  friend. For one thing, parents grew up in a different world, as Junior reminds them when they express concern over his apparent addiction to electronics. For another, parents have acquired a certain ability to “read” people and know how easy it is to fool someone when there are no visual or auditory cues. A 12-year-old would never think her online chat room friend might be a bald, 55-year-old pedophile but her parents are not so naïve.
Laumann's concern is a valid one, that children who spend so much time in front of a screen are losing out on opportunities to be physically active. For the first time in recent human history, we are raising a generation of children who will probably not live as long as their parents. But there are clearly more immediate dangers inherent in our children's electronic lifestyle.
Children are quick to “friend” people more experienced adults would hesitate to regard as anything more than casual acquaintances. They feel a level of safety in their online relationships that is largely an illusion. Police officers who deal with computer crime know how a light-hearted chat room conversation about a concert, school event or trip to the beach can provide a predator with enough information to go from online creep to hiding-in-the-hedge stalker.
In addition, confusing online friendships with the real thing fosters a certain superficiality in how our children relate to others. It is so very easy to “friend” and “unfriend” people online. There is none of the messiness inherent in face-to-face relationships. A child can say incredibly hurtful things via text message or email easily because there is no need to see the pain on the person's face, and no risk of retaliation. Internet bullying has become a real and deadly danger.
Excessive screen time hampers more than developing a strong, healthy body. It also stunts our children's emotional and social growth. And it exposes them to physical and psychological danger. Hint to parents - electronic devices come with “off” switches. And no matter what Junior says, limiting and monitoring his use of electronics does not constitute child abuse, although the reverse would probably meet the definition of a passive form of abuse.