DETROIT – School is out. So, are the screens.
Device usage is expected to rise among children, but there’s a growing movement of families pushing back.
Some parents are swapping devices for outdoor adventures, books and imaginative play.
April White, a mother from Farmington Hills, said her family makes a point to start every day outside.
“That’s kind of how we do it,” White said. “We start our day outside and sometimes we just never even feel the temptation to get to the screens.”
Families weigh in on screen time
At Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park, families from across the metro area are drawing a clear line: screens may have a place in learning, but they shouldn’t define the childhood experience.
Nikki Pradel, a Detroit mother, said her family lives by that philosophy every day.
“We’re outside,” she said. “We’re outside 24/7. We are bathing every single night because they’re dirty and they’re playing outside with sand and water with all the toys in the backyard and front yard.”
Pradel said she’s intentional about keeping her children young and imaginative for as long as possible.
“I don’t want that be taken by anything that’s out there on the screens, social media or any of that. I want to keep them young as long as I can,” she said.
White echoed that sentiment, explaining that getting outside early in the day sets a natural tone for the rest of it.
“I think it just starts from a young age, just instilling like a natural practice of getting outside,” White said. “So, we go outside first thing in the morning and once they’re outside, they’re really self-entertained and they love to be out there playing and exploring, adventuring, and they usually forget about screens until like the end of the day.”
What the research says
A 2023 study examined how devices can impact a child’s language development, social interactions and academic performance.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Rose Moten said the evidence is growing and concerning.
“There’s actually been, and it’s increasing, studies that’s actually showing that it’s really slowing down development in areas and regions of the brain that is very concerning and troubling, especially for those of us in the mental health field, but it should be concerning for all of us,” Moten said.
Moten said the COVID-19 pandemic offered a stark example of what happens when children are cut off from real-world social interaction.
“When we go back even to the pandemic when the pandemic occurred and kids weren’t able to get out and be social with other children — what I hear from many educators is that they’re still ruling from children who don’t have a sense of just social confidence with connecting with their peers,” she said.
She said the stakes go beyond social skills — they reach into a child’s core identity.
“This sense of confidence, this sense of creativity, this sense of identity, this needed skill of being able to connect socially cannot be downloaded. It can’t be downloaded and it can’t [be] learned in front of a screen,” Moten said.
Tips for parents: Make it positive, not punitive
For parents considering limiting their child’s screen time, Moten said the framing matters enormously.
“Parents want to be very careful in not suggesting that lack of screen time is punitive,” Moten said. “You want to encourage them that there are some benefits to screen time, but there are even more benefits to being away from that screen.”
She said boredom itself can be a powerful tool.
“Tap into their imagination. Utilize when kids say they’re bored, because we always hear that from children. But look at boredom as an opportunity,” Moten said. “It’s an opportunity to really help children — introduce them to just their imagination.”
Moten outlined what she calls the “three I’s” of child social development — industry, initiative and identity — all of which, she said, are best developed away from screens.
“Play is the work of kids, let me just say that first of all,” Moten said.
Screen-free ideas at Time Blaster Toys
Just up the road, Time Blaster Toys in Livonia is stocking up on screen-free options for the season.
Owner Keith Libra said the shop carries something for every generation, ranging from vintage action figures to the latest must-have toys.
“You go to a vintage toy store like ours; traditionally, maybe it appeals to someone my age, a collector like me, maybe not so much for the young kids,” Libra said. “And what we try to do here is not only have that toy that’s going to spark nostalgia from the 80s or 90s, but we want that new, latest, and greatest toy for little guys, you know, little girls and boys.”
Libra highlighted four screen-free categories parents can explore this summer: books, bubbles, puppets and classes.
“We have some awesome Choose Your Adventure books. I’m sure you remember reading those when you were young back in the day,” Libra said. “Really popular back in the day, and they’re still produced today.”
On the puppet front, Libra said the store has been pleasantly surprised by the response since they started stocking them six or seven months ago.
“Kids are into puppets,” Libra said. “There are customers who come in with their own puppet [who] will come into our store to shop puppets.”
The store’s bubble selection has also expanded to feature giant bubbles to touchable bubbles to the quantum bubbler.
Melanie Libra, who helps run the store, described the touchable bubbles as something straight out of a childhood dream.
“You blow them, you wait for a minute, and then you can put your hand out and catch the bubbles in your hand. It’s like what you always dreamed of when you were a kid,” she said.
Lab classes for all ages
Time Blaster Toys also offers hands-on creative classes inside the Lab, a classroom space inside the store. The two-hour classes are open to all ages.
Melanie Libra said the store’s art instructor has been painting since she was five years old and leads kids through everything from snowman paintings to clay art.
“She also has the kids dabbling in oil painting now, which is just amazing,” Melanie Libra said. “All ages. So, you’ll just paint at your level.”