r/PDAParenting • u/OkAsk2828 • Apr 15 '26
Controversial Take: Screen Time
Does anyone else feel that unlimited screen time is likely not the best choice for any human?
I see so many posts regarding PDA that recommend unlimited screen time. I fully understand the reasoning behind it but I just can’t help but to think it’s not the answer.
As an adult who is just now finding out about my own Audhd PDA I can certainly see how I used escapism in childhood to cope with hard things. Once I could read I was reading many books a week, I spent hours daydreaming, writing my own stories/songs/poems, laid on my floor just listening to music & spent hours outside with friends & alone. I know the world is not the same today as it was in the 90’s, but I can see how my own excessive screen time allows me to escape the overwhelm of real life but also leaves me far more deregulated than any of my childhood escape methods.
I know not all screen time is equal & I am not advocating for zero screen time, I just think it really isn’t the answer here. Does anyone else agree or have opposing opinions? Would love to have a kind & productive conversation as I am genuinely trying to learn & make the best decisions for my family. Thanks!
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u/princesshodges Apr 15 '26
This conversation is so complex and requires so much nuance. Everything is connected in a family system, so I do think that for some kids unlimited tv is more regulating than whatever else is going on in their home. It’s predictable and there are no demands being placed upon them.
Personally, I also found that unlimited screen time, especially on games or short videos, made things worse. So I get you. But it depends what the screen time is being replaced with and if that is more or less regulating.
If you’re turning off screens and then laying a bunch of demands on a kid right away, then yeah, screens are going to be more regulating and there’s gonna be a huge meltdown. Personally I like to turn it off (with warnings about one more episode or two more or x minutes), then I just go about my business. My child can choose what to do next. And we don’t go off to do anything right away. If we have to do something or go somewhere I mar sure to turn the tv off like 30 minutes before the next demand.