So today (Friday) something happened that gave me pause. Friday is what we call in our house – Pizza & library night. So we grab books and DVDS after school from the library, have pizza and popcorn and watch a movie. So the first couple of Fridays I was so excited, I was all in, sat through Moana and a few other movies, but recently I noticed I started drifting off to “do other things.” It is in this time period that I also observed my daughter would call me every so often during the movie as he ears were covered and say she was scared. I would sit with them and when the scene passed I would go back to whatever I was doing – which I really have no idea what – being a Friday. But today I said nah the dishes can wait, so we all sat on the couch my husband included, blankets popcorns the works and watched Frozen II. Immediately we turned off the lights my daughter squealed with delight, “we are all here so cozy!” I watched her most of the movie and if there was a part that was “heavy” she would hold my hand. I would also throw out random questions and both my son and daughter would respond. This got me thinking about the value of co-viewing and I started where I always start – what does the research say. In this study by Latomme et al (2018), they studied various dyads – parent-child relationships from various socio-economic backgrounds from 6 different European countries. What they found was “targeting co-TV viewing may indeed be a novel and effective intervention strategy for limiting screen time in child.”
Personally these are some things I have noticed from co-viewing that are beneficial:
1.) Children especially when young (well my daughter) feel a sense of a “safety net” when they know the parents are right there – remember the holding my hand part as opposed to coming to find her covering her ears with widened eyes?
2.)Gives parents a chance to ask questions which engage the childs higher cognitive brain as they watch that way they are not in a passive state of consumption
3.)Definitely they ability to monitor the content – that is Hack number 2 in our Screens n Kids Playbook – Be mindful of Content, Context & Child with kids and digital media. This way in case there are follow up conversations to be had you can pick up on it – whether its on race or sexuality or if the themes in the show are concerning – guess what you are right there to shut the shop down for business! And you tube has been a culprit of all kinds of sneaky things showing up in between kids videos that have been a.)controversial b.)scary c.)perverted and the list goes on and on.
4.)Its a great family bonding activity. This is a way to use tech to your advantage as place to gather around as tech serves it purpose in that context – entertainment!
5.)In this study by Alison Wok, she suggested that age appropriate films can be an effective way to facilitate communication within families, impart values, externalize and solve problems, and build a connection between parents and children
Lots of value in co-viewing, I will continue to dig deeper and bring the research, but until next time, the dishes can wait. You will have plenty of time to dust and mop the floor after they are long gone. So sit down, grab some popcorn and enjoy some Mufasa and Lion King.