Chris and Katherine Pratt’s Kids ‘Don’t Do Screen Time’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, wife of actor Chris Pratt, believes it is important for her children to have minimal screen time.
“We don’t do screen time,” she said when asked what she does about screen time in her home. “My girls have watched a couple episodes of DANIEL TIGER, but they’ve watched it on a screen away from them because the woman that I interviewed said the importance of them not holding a device in their hand but looking at it on a wall.”
Pratt explained how there’s a difference between screentime on a TV versus screentime on a handheld device.
“Holding something in their hand gives them a false sense of control,” she explained. “If you can watch something it’s not only better for their eyes, for their posture and for their minds, but it also allows there to be separation and also family.”
“If you think about how we grew up, our parents were walking in and out of rooms when we were watching TV when we were toddlers. They were able to be part of the conversation,” Pratt continued. “If you saw something, if you had a question, you were able to say, like, ‘Oh, mommy, daddy, what’s this?’ And to be able to make it an interactive conversation between families. That’s where I feel like the singular use technology has…you don’t really know or can’t be a part of what your kids are watching.”
There are some exceptions, though. “For travel, I think that’s totally different,” she said.
Movieguide® previously reported on the dangers of screen time for young children:
A new study from JAMA found that children under 2 who had high exposure to television screen time had an increased chance for atypical sensory processing later in their adolescence…
The analysis revealed that any amount of regular screen exposure before “12 months of age was associated with a 2-fold increased odds” of atypical sensory processing. Higher exposure to screen time at 18 months of age was associated with a higher likelihood of sensory processing difficulties at about a 20% higher risk per hour of screen time.
While atypical sensory processing is often associated with conditions like autism, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the issues can exist on their own. The study was unable to link screen time with higher rates of autism, ADHD or OCD.
The Pratts are getting ready to welcome Baby No. 3.
“I come from a big family, so I love the idea of having a lot of kids around and a big family,” Katherine told Us Weekly a few years ago. “Whatever God has in His plan for us is what we’ll do.”
