Short Wave - Science-backed guidance for healthy screen time

Episode Date: October 6, 2026

We’re all aware – and wary – of doomscrolling. Lots of screen time can be bad for us. But what if that’s not always the case? We spoke with the author of a study that found a positive relationship between screen time and brain development in young people. This episode, we sort through what to actually worry about when it comes to screen time – and what guidelines already exist that can empower you and the kids in your life.Interested in learning more about how screen time affects your brain? Email us your question at [e-mail] public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Hey everyone, Regina Barber here with a request. Follow us on whatever app you're listening to us from. We love sharing cool and important science stories with you, and following us means you'll always know when our next episode is ready for you, just like this one. You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Hey, Gina, I got a personal question for you. Yes.

As a parent, how do you feel about your kid's screen time? I was raised by TV, so I didn't limit it at all. Okay. She asked me herself to limit her screen time when she was 10. How about you, Nate? I mean, are you judging me? Like, how do you feel about screen time with your toddler? I have learned to not judge any parent on their choices because we're all on a journey

together. That's right. It's hard. I mean, listen, my kid loves Bluey. Yeah, we do like a little Saturday morning cartoon thing because it makes me very nostalgic. I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons and we'll watch Blue for a little bit. And, you know, it's a good way to get you. your snuggles, have your milk. But yeah, you know, we try to avoid screen time as much as possible

because, I don't know, like the impression I've always got is that screen time is bad, right? Which is why I was so surprised and wanted to talk to you about this recent study that suggests that screen time might not totally be bad for kids. screens, they can include and promote active thinking, problem solving and creativity and learning that could theoretically improve cognition. Yeah, so that's Petri Yalanko. He's a researcher and exercise physiologist at the sports medicine faculty at the Helsinki Sports and Exercise Medicine Clinic. Petri and his fellow researchers wanted to understand which kinds of activities had the biggest impact on kids' memory and cognition.

So they followed a group of kids over the course of eight years measuring things like their physical activity levels and how much time they spent sitting or staring at screens. And I guess the key result that really has drawn the attention is that the higher cumulative self-reported screen time was associated with quicker responses on the working memory tasks and also with better over cognition. Yeah. So they found actually a positive. link between kids' screen time and overall cognitive performance in teens. Yeah, that sounds a little too good to be true. Maybe it depends on what they are watching. Yes, I think it's maybe too good to be true.

Maybe. Because, yeah, I think as parents, we get a lot of mixed messages about what the appropriate amount of screen time is. So we are journalists. Be skeptical. As skeptical journalists, you and me, Gina. Yes. We are going to dig into the study.

and also talk to other researchers to help us understand what we should actually worry about when it comes to screen time and our kids. Nate to the rescue. So today on the show, what really matters when it comes to screen time for kids and adults. I'm Nate Rot. And I'm Regina Barber. You're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. Okay, Nate, I, for real, am dying to know more about the implications of pet trees study. Does this mean that more screen time could be.

making kids smarter, maybe? Well, I wouldn't go that far, Gina. So it doesn't mean that screen time causes better cognition. So there might be some confounding factors with the association. Association being the key word there. Yeah, I know I was dreaming. Screen time isn't going to magically improve our kids' brain development. Is that what he's saying?

Yeah, I mean, like, we don't want to overstate the benefits here. There is no causal effect between screen time and cognitive performance. That being said, this research does suggest that a kid's screen time in and of itself isn't inherently a bad thing. So Petri says what ultimately matters is how kids are engaging with this technology. I think we shouldn't panic about the screens in general, but we should be intentional, you know, intentional, you know, choosing high quality content, educational content, co-use that with, you know, with parents, and making sure that, you know, the screens aren't replacing first like sleep, active play or, you know, that kind of like real world interaction.

Yeah, this is so validating, Nate, because I remember when she was younger and, yeah, I was letting my kid watch all this TV. I was mostly just like letting her watch it with me. It was educational. I wasn't imposing any, you know, strict limitations. And maybe that's what he's saying here. It's more about like setting healthy digital habits as a family. Is that what people should be thinking about?

Yeah, when it comes to screen time, I think a good way to think about it is you are what you watch. You know, screen time is not a single exposure. It's not just watching TikTok short TikTok videos. there can be some educational content that it can actually improve cognition. So while Petri Study didn't get into the different ways the kids use their screens, we know there's a difference between doom scrolling and, you know, for example, watching a PBS show. Or my kid, when she was little watching This Backyardigans episode, I think it helped her with her attention span. Gina, you don't have to convince me. Listen, I believe you. If that show was really educational, yes. And Petri agrees.

Okay, so us parents, we should focus. on the quality of screen time. That's the message here. But Nate, limiting my kids' media diet to educational content feels, I mean, pretty close to impossible. Like, what else can I do? Yeah. So Petri said building healthy digital habits is all about being intentional.

And luckily, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a framework to help you do that. It's called the five Cs of media use. The first C is for child, as in your child. There's no such thing as a universal formula for screen time because, you know, every kid has different needs. Every child is different. They have their own personalities. They have their own strengths. They respond to digital media differently. So you have to look at it numerous ways. If we just focus on quantity and we say, oh, but it's great quality. They're doing things that are active. It takes away from the fact it's still not prioritizing the basic fundamentals that we need. Yeah, that's Asha Patton Smith, a board-certified psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente, and she personally uses this framework with her patients and families. Okay. So what's the second C?

Yeah, so the second C, Gina, is for content, which relates to Petri's point about the quality of screen time. So check in with what your kids are consuming. Like, it doesn't have to be all educational content all of the time, but there are layers here. What's not helpful is that type of content that doesn't require any child to make any decisions or engage in any type of active content and can be harmful. And that's the algorithm-driven content, the endless short form videos that can negatively affect attention spans. The third C, Gina, is calm. How well is your child handling their emotions when they're on a screen? when they're coming off the screen. That's important information to see how they're dealing with their digital media consumption on a regular basis.

I feel so seen as an adult. Yeah. We're here for you and I to feel seeing, Gina, and every other parent out there. The fourth C is one that really stood out to me in particular. The fourth is crowding out. If screen time is taking away from sleep, interacting with people in real life, from mindful movement and exercise, then it's not. helpful for you. It's not serving you because these three foundational things are key. Yeah, I mean, that seems like the most useful one because it might be hard to like monitor exactly

how long your kids on the phone or what she's seen on social media. But it's definitely easier to gauge whether she's sleeping or not or she's going out and talking to her friends or even talking to you. Yeah, going outside doing like living life in the real world. And Asha says to keep an eye out for your kids sleep in particular. That's a really. key point. We need to make sure that we're prioritizing sleep for ourselves and our kids. And we know medically, regardless of what studies come out, that prioritizing sleep will improve attention and cognition, decrease the risk of depression and anxiety, improve the ability to be able to get things done, improve overall executive functioning. Okay, so to recap, we have to keep an eye on our

kids media diet, their moods, and their sleep. But Nate, I think we're missing one C, right? There's one more C. There is one more C, the fifth C. And that is communication. So as parents, we have to regularly check with our kids about their digital experiences. So what are they seeing when they're online? And really, how do they feel about it? We have to maintain regular, non-judgmental conversations about general online safety, how to navigate healthy digital boundaries, and co-viewing content with your kids, so helping them in real time navigate what they're doing digitally. And remember, Gina, communication is a two-way street. So it's not just about checking in.

You also have to, this is important, model healthy digital habits as well. You can show them better than you can tell them, what indeed are you modeling with regard to, appropriate, healthy digital boundaries. Yeah, so, Gina, the important thing here is just, you know, put down your phone. And not just for your kids' sake, because a psychiatrist Lamat Moss told me, the more time adults spend online, the higher their levels of anxiety and depression. It's everything from being on the Internet comparing ourselves to others. It's from choosing to have that as a source of interaction, as opposed to doing activities that are more therapeutic for the individual, be it getting outside, be it interacting with people on an individual basis, or even just having more time to rest and relax.

Okay. So I knew I had a right to be a little suspicious about screen time, but overall, this, you know, this is good. Yeah, I mean, this all goes back to my earlier question, which is, how do we make sense of all of these studies? And the reality is there's no one right answer, which might seem unsatisfying. But it's true. You know, reducing screen time looks different for everyone. It's a holistic approach where screen time doesn't take time from your day to prevent you from better health, whether that's going outside and exercising, as we just heard, or hanging out with friends. Here's Lamont again. Finding ways of either designating time to

have your smartphone and then having time where you don't interact with it is of great benefit. I anecdotally will have my patients do simple things where if they're in the car, put your phone in the back or put it in your back pocket. That way you actually can't physically grab it because we have a tendency to want to grab it because it's become a habit for us to have it close by. Nate, thank you so much for bringing us these findings. My kid is back to school now, so I should definitely have a lot of, a conversation with her. But honestly, I'm going to focus more on just not looking at my phone

so much and just putting it away when she's around. Yeah, that's been my big takeaway, too. I'm going to just put the phone away. Just put it away. So, Jana, I was happy to talk to you about all this because for me, it feels very validating to hear that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with screen time and children. And now we can all, hopefully, parent with a little more scientific backing behind us. Yes, that's what I used to say I was doing, but now I really am. This episode was reported and produced by Juan Diego Ramirez. It was edited by Lauren Gonzalez and Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones, check the facts.

Jimmy Keely is the out of engineer. I'm Nate Rott. And I'm Regina Barber. Thank you for listening to Sherwave, the science podcast from NPR.