51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Course Description

Summary

Many organizations estimate that children spend up to six or more hours per day looking at screens. Screens are ubiquitous in multiple settings including school and home. This course is dedicated to a rigorous reading of the research and scientific literature on children’s screen time. We will explore social, cognitive, and developmental effects of screen time, integrating literature from multiple fields (developmental psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, sociology). We will discuss various methods used to study this topic (e.g., correlational and longitudinal studies, fMRI) and critique the research. We will discuss various potential mechanisms for the observed negative effects of screen time (e.g., lack of social interaction, sedentary behavior, harmful content, circadian disruption, etc.), as well the potential benefits of screen time.