By India McCarty
It seems like every day, it gets harder and harder to cut screens out of our lives — or at least cut back on how often we use them — but now one state has taken matters into its own hands.
“Spending quality time together strengthens our bonds, fosters better communication and creates lasting memories that carry us through life’s challenges,” Utah’s Governor, Spencer Cox, said in a recent press release.
To foster that quality time, Gov. Cox announced Family Connection Week from June 9–15, 2025, designating it “a dedicated time to unplug from devices and reconnect through meaningful, screen-free activities.”
It’s no surprise state governments are taking notice of the negative impacts screen time can have on people, both young and old.
Jody Zabriskie, the head of Utah’s A to Z Building Blocks preschool and child care facilities, told Deseret News that she and other childcare professionals have seen parents use “iPads as pacifiers,” which damages young children’s self-regulation skills.
She shared that she teaches the children at her preschool breathing techniques, trying to help them get a handle on their emotions without putting them in front of a screen.
“Really, I think parents are doing the best that they possibly can and as providers, we do the best that we can,” Zabriskie added. “You can never say anything bad about either source because everyone’s just trying to do the best that they can to help these children.”
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Aimee Winder Newton, who oversees Utah’s Office of Families, said it is “critical” to get kids off of their screens and engage them with the real world. She added that it is “concerning” that so many parents have made a habit of handing their child an iPad when they start to have a meltdown.
Dr. Joseph McGuire, a child psychologist and screen time researcher at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, agreed, telling Parents, “If you have a young kid who watches an episode of BLUE’S CLUES, it’s not the end of the world. But if it’s the go-to thing every time they’re fussy, that can unintentionally reinforce that behavior.”
Basically, if your kid gets to watch an episode of their favorite show if they throw a tantrum, they learn that negative behavior results in them getting what they want.
“That’s where we’re starting to see some trouble,” Newton explained. ‘Their social and emotional maturity is lacking because they don’t have that interaction with people or learn how to soothe themselves.”
Utah’s Family Connection Week is a great way to raise awareness about the negative impacts screen time can have on your child’s behavior and give parents an opportunity to connect with their kids, face to face.
Read Next: Is it Really That Bad if Kids Have Screen Time?
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