A Method for Reducing Screen Time: Encouraging Parents to SPOIL their Children

The S.P.O.I.L. system offers those working with parents a quick and easy way to overview the childhood activities that are often displaced by screen time and provide the strongest associations with positive child development. Caregivers can be encouraged to “put the big rocks in first,” resulting in a more natural limiting of screen time. This back-to-basics approach encourages children and caregivers to engage in activities that are nearly always free and accessible to all families. The research on each area will be reviewed and specific ideas and strategies will be provided. When participants leave the session, they will have a system for presenting alluring alternatives to excessive screen time, one that is easy to remember and fun.

Dr. Meghan Owenz is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Penn State University. She has been teaching university students for the past five years, including courses in Child Development and Counseling Techniques. She has over ten years of clinical experience in university counseling centers, residential treatment facilities and community mental health. She runs a website, Screen-Free Parenting.com, with over 15,000 active and engaged participants. The website is a place to connect like-minded caregivers, summarize research and present alluring alternatives to screen-time. She has two children who are thriving with very limited screen-time.

This video of Dr. Owenz' breakout session was recorded at the Children's Screen Time Action Network Conference in Boston, MA on April 20, 2018.

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