Of course it is!

Everything that any human interacts with in their environment alters their brain. Please don't just believe this headline because the obvious situation that's assumed here is that by 'altering' they mean in a negative way.

On today's podcast, we examine a study on how screen affects the brains of children and attempt to discern if this is something parents should be concerned about. The study looked at 11,000, 9-10-year-olds throughout the United States and found that:

• MRI scans found significant differences in the brains of some children who reported using smartphones, tablets, and video games more than seven hours a day.
• Children who reported more than two hours a day of screen time got lower scores on thinking and language tests.

The article also mentioned the traditional concerns around screen time such as increased risk of obesity, increased risk of depression, how social media affects the brain, and sleep alteration. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss these results and create context around what we believe you can realistically do about screen time with your child. What We Covered

• Don't just be a headline reader. If you're going to read something read the entire research paper before formulating an opinion. This article is a clear example of that.
• What came first the chicken or the egg? Does the screen negatively affect your child's brain, or do children who have less cognitive potential crave more screen time?
• Is screen really something that warrants your concern?
• Why screen time and social media are very separate things and why you shouldn't equate the two.