Notes

"Oh, that's an Idea": U.S. Parents Respond to China Screen Time Ban

Content of the article Raleigh Smith Duttweiler was folding laundry in her Ohio home, her three children playing video game Minecraft upstairs, when she was listening to an NPR report on new rules in China that forbid youngsters and children younger than 18 from playing video games for more than three hours a week.
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"Oh, that's an idea," Duttweiler, who works in public relations at a non-profit organization thinks. My American instinct is that this is a violation of rights. We don't have to decide what we should be doing in our own homes.



"Oh, that's an idea ...': U.S.



Article content "It's not good for children to play the way that my children do. And I believe it would be more simple to shut it off when it wasn't just fighting with Mommy or saying 'Well, the police said so. '"



Article content Duttweiler like many other families, was stunned Monday by the announcement of the country's strict social intervention. This was a step regulators felt was necessary to curb the growing dependence on "spiritual opioids". It also highlights the difficulty of limiting video game use at home, particularly during the pandemic.



China's regulator stated that the new rules were in response to the growing concern about games that can harm children's mental and physical health. This concern was shared by experts and parents in the United States.



Article content Paul Morgan, father of two teenagersand a Penn State professor who studies electronic devices, sees flaws in the ban, but acknowledges the difficulties of limiting screen time for children. Morgan said that electronic devices are "ubiquitous". "It's really difficult to get kids away."



Morgan says that screen time is associated with negative connotations, particularly for heavy users. This could be due to the fact that it may replace exercise or sleep. The ban does not deal with social media usage that is believed to be particularly harmful for girls. Some populations, like students who have disabilities, might be capable of benefiting from the social interactions offered by video games.



Shira Weiss is a publicist from New Jersey who is working with clients in the field of technology which includes a videogame manufacturer. She believes there is value in games that keep her twins in touch with their peers. But, she'd like to limit their time to play violent games.



Article content Weiss stated that she believes the Chinese rules were a good idea. "You're still saying "Play video games," but you're only setting limits." She joked: "Can they come here to impose that restriction on my home?"



Michael Gural-Maiello, who works in business development at an engineering firm and has an 11-year-old son, believes that parents should be the ones to regulate their children's gaming habits.



"I don't think governments really should be telling parents how their children should spend their time," Gural-Maiello said. "China has a bad record in technology. I'd be much more concerned about my son's use of apps that originate in China that collect data than I am about playing Mario Kart." (Reporting by Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)


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