Screen-Aware Early Childhood: A Realistic Approach to Helping Young Children Thrive in a Digitally Complex World

Use screen awareness to nurture and safeguard child development from birth to age 8 in the digital age.

This book equips early childhood professionals to grow their “screen awareness”―the knowledge and practices that uphold the developmental well-being and rights of children in a screen-based, media-centric society.

The authors introduce the Screen-Aware Framework for Early Childhood (SAFEC), a versatile approach for making informed, intentional decisions about screen use, time, and content across diverse home, classroom, and child care settings. The book highlights consequential research findings and myths about young children and screens; builds awareness of the influence of screen-based media, including problematic industry practices; and digs into protective factors for reducing risks and identifying priorities for strengthening child and family resilience.

Full of practical information, strategies, tools, and resources for developing screen-aware practices, policies, and partnerships, Screen-Aware Early Childhood is essential guidance for all those who educate and care for young children.

Book Features:

• Offers a dynamic framework with actionable practices that enable adults to prioritize and protect children’s developmental needs.
• Builds knowledge and skills so professionals and families can make informed decisions about screen use with confidence.
• Offers research-based cautions concerning the harmful effects of screen exposure on young children’s health, development, and learning.
• Encourages responsive, non-judgmental communication among caregivers, teachers, colleagues, families, and community partners to foster understanding and shared responsibility and support.
• Includes practice-based scenarios, questions for reflection and discussion, and helpful tools and resources.

Patricia Cantor is professor emerita of early childhood studies and former associate provost at Plymouth State University, New Hampshire. Melinda Holohan serves as faculty specialist in family science and human development at Western Michigan University. Jean Rogers is director of the Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay, a global collaborative of practitioners, educators, advocates, and parents.