Looking Beyond the Numbers and Focusing on What Children Are Actually Doing
By Dr. Robert Sawyer
Recently, I was speaking with a parent who was deeply concerned about the amount of time her son spent looking at a screen. Like many parents, she worried that technology was gradually replacing reading, outdoor play, and meaningful learning. She told me that whenever she walked past his room, he seemed to be staring at a laptop, tablet, or phone. Her conclusion was understandable: surely this much screen time could not be healthy.
As we talked further, however, a more interesting picture emerged. Much of that screen time was being spent watching engineering videos, learning computer programming, exploring astronomy, and teaching himself skills that most schools do not formally teach until much later. Around the same time, I was speaking with another family whose child spent a similar number of hours on screens each day, but most of that time was devoted to scrolling through an endless stream of short videos designed primarily to entertain rather than educate. Both children had similar amounts of screen time. Yet their experiences were fundamentally different. That conversation reminded me that perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “How much screen time is too much?” we may need to start asking, “What is a child actually doing with that screen time?”
This distinction matters because screens themselves are not inherently good or bad. They are tools. Like books, televisions, automobiles, or even schools themselves, their value depends largely on how they are being used. A screen can expose a child to extraordinary opportunities for learning, creativity, and intellectual growth. The same screen can also become a source of distraction, misinformation, passive consumption, and unhealthy habits. When parents focus exclusively on the number of hours spent in front of a screen, they sometimes miss the more important conversation about quality.
The reality is that today’s children have access to educational opportunities that previous generations could scarcely imagine. A curious twelve-year-old can watch university lectures from leading professors, learn a new language from native speakers, explore ancient civilizations through virtual museum tours, learn graphic design, build websites, study advanced mathematics, or watch detailed demonstrations of scientific experiments occurring on the other side of the world. For a child who is naturally curious, technology can be a remarkable educational accelerator.
I have seen students discover passions through online content that ultimately shaped their academic and career aspirations. Some have developed interests in coding, engineering, medicine, architecture, filmmaking, robotics, entrepreneurship, and countless other fields simply because they encountered high-quality educational content online. In many cases, that content sparked a level of curiosity that traditional textbooks alone could not achieve. This is why I become concerned when discussions about screen time are reduced to simple numbers. Two hours spent researching marine biology, learning a new language, or watching educational documentaries is not the same as two hours spent mindlessly scrolling through content designed primarily to capture attention. The distinction is enormous.
Unfortunately, many of the digital platforms most popular with young people today are not designed around learning. They are designed around engagement. Their goal is not necessarily to make children more knowledgeable, thoughtful, or capable. Their goal is to keep users watching, scrolling, clicking, and returning. This is where many parents’ concerns become entirely justified.
Short-form content platforms have transformed the way many young people consume information. Reels, Shorts, and similar formats deliver a constant stream of stimulation. Topics change every few seconds. New images, sounds, jokes, opinions, and emotional reactions arrive almost instantly. The brain becomes accustomed to novelty and immediate rewards. Over time, this can create challenges.
Many teachers and parents have noticed that some students struggle more than previous generations with sustained attention. Reading a lengthy chapter, solving a complex problem, writing an essay, or concentrating on a task for an extended period can feel difficult when a child has become accustomed to receiving new stimulation every few seconds.
This does not mean all short-form content is harmful. There are excellent educators producing valuable content in short formats. The concern is not the format itself. The concern is what happens when a child’s entire digital diet becomes dominated by entertainment-driven content that requires little reflection, analysis, or critical thinking.
Just as a healthy body requires balanced nutrition, a healthy mind requires balanced intellectual input. No parent would want a child to consume nothing but candy. The same principle applies to information. Children need intellectual nourishment. They need content that challenges them, encourages them to think, exposes them to new ideas, and helps them develop a deeper understanding of the world.
At the same time, we should be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that educational screen time alone is sufficient for healthy development. Learning is not merely about consuming information. Learning is also about doing.
A child can watch twenty videos about engineering and learn something valuable. However, the real magic happens when that child takes what they have learned and begins building something. A student can watch tutorials about writing, but improvement comes from actually writing. A young entrepreneur can watch videos about business, but true learning occurs when they attempt to solve a real problem, create a real product, or develop a real plan.
Knowledge becomes meaningful when it is applied. This is one of the reasons I strongly believe that children’s lives should include a wide variety of experiences beyond screens. They need opportunities to create, build, experiment, discuss, explore, and interact with the physical world. They need exercise. They need outdoor experiences. They need hobbies that engage their hands as well as their minds. They need opportunities to collaborate with others, solve problems, and navigate real-world situations.
Human development is holistic. A child is not simply a brain absorbing information. A child is a complete person developing intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, and creatively. When any one area dominates at the expense of the others, balance begins to suffer.
I sometimes encounter parents who worry that educational technology is replacing traditional learning. In reality, I do not believe the choice is between technology and traditional education. The strongest educational environments combine the best elements of both.
A child should read books. A child should also know how to use technology effectively. A child should learn mathematics. A child should also learn how mathematics applies to real-world situations. A child should watch educational content. A child should also conduct experiments, create projects, build models, and engage in meaningful discussions. The goal is not to reject technology. The goal is to use technology intentionally.
Parents can help by becoming less focused on counting minutes and more focused on evaluating quality. What is the child learning? What questions are they asking? Are they becoming more curious? Are they developing useful skills? Are they creating something? Are they exploring meaningful ideas? Or are they simply consuming content passively for hours without gaining much in return? These questions often reveal far more than a screen-time report ever could.
Ultimately, the conversation about screen time is really a conversation about how children spend their attention. Attention is one of the most valuable resources any person possesses. What children repeatedly focus on shapes their interests, habits, knowledge, and ultimately their future opportunities. Technology can be a powerful educational tool. It can also become a powerful distraction. The difference lies not in the screen itself, but in how it is used.
At Sawyer STREAM Academy, we intentionally approach technology through this lens. We do not view screens as inherently positive or negative. Instead, we focus on purposeful use. Students use technology to research, design, create, collaborate, solve problems, and explore new ideas. Just as importantly, they are encouraged to apply what they learn through project-based learning, critical thinking, discussion, creativity, and real-world experiences. We believe students thrive when technology supports learning rather than replacing it, and when digital experiences are balanced with opportunities to think deeply, create meaningfully, engage physically, and grow as whole human beings.
The future will undoubtedly be shaped by technology. Our responsibility as parents and educators is not to prepare children to avoid it, but to help them use it wisely.