Who benefits from the idea of screen time?

Abstract

Public discourse surrounding children’s use of digital technologies centres on fears that excessive screen time harms development and well-being. Consequently, policymakers and organizations have introduced time-focused guidelines and advisories surrounding children and youth’s media use. In ethnographic work examining digital technology use in families of preschoolers, we found that parents often spoke about device use in guilt-ridden and shameful ways. This led us to ask: if caregivers and children are not the beneficiaries in the perpetuation of the screen time concept, who is benefitting from it? We identify three major groups who benefit: technology companies (who shift responsibility away from platform design), governments (who demonstrate action without implementing complex regulation), and researchers (who secure funding and attention). We argue that examining who benefits from screen time reveals underlying power relations in this discourse and suggest three alternative, more equitable approaches for researchers and policymakers addressing children’s digital media use.