The mother of all kids-distractions is YouTube. Of course it’s better than devoting your own attention to your kid. It’s better than play dough. Better than starting a movie on the TV and often it’s even a better distraction than food.
YouTube is the perfect ‘innocent’ distraction for your kid.
Is it?
There’s no only Yin’s in the universe and you know it.
The Yang is the collateral damage of YouTube.
YouTube delivers
- Instant dopamine shots. Every time your kiddo touches the screen and starts a new movie
- A suggestion engine that is too good: What’s watched and liked longer is what will be suggested (and the inventory is infinite)
- An auto loop: there’s always a new film, even if you do nothing
- The continuous load on the brain: When the kid is done – although the brain craves a dopamine shot – the brain is tired and the kid will be relatively silent.
The collateral damage is especially a long term problem. Studies suggest that these Gen YouTube kids have a worse memory, are really bad at focusing and are performing worse when it comes to delayed gratification.
So make YouTube(/screen) rules and maintain them. 10 minutes a day. Half an hour. An hour.
The kid doesn’t care what it does (although the kiddo-brain will literally SCREAM for the screen-dopamine shot). She likes playing outside, drawing and play dough just as much as the films: but they are so much better in the long run.
(Un)fortunately for you, it’s better that you focus on your kid and spend your focused attention on her. Instead of ‘zoning’ her out.
You have a responsibility here.
Your kid will be grateful when it’s grown up, even when you’re long gone.