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Sadly, the nonprofit group that started TV Turn Off Week no longer has funding. We built screenfreeweek.org in order to fill the void with tools for teachers and parents to manage screen time, and to update the concept to reflect the reality of multiple screens in children's lives.

Why did we do this? Our Portland-based company publishes an ad-free, national magazine for preschoolers - printed on paper and sent through the snail mail. From our research, we know that time spent with a screen is time NOT spent using your imagination. This is not just pointless playtime: the ability to create an alternative reality in your mind is uniquely human, and the preschool years are when this skill is acquired.

Why is learning to use your imagination important? Being able to imagine a different reality, combined with causal knowledge (i.e. knowing how to alter situations) are the tools that allow individuals to change their world. Too much screen time is linked to accepting the reality that is presented to you. We should not raise our children to do that.

Thanks for covering this topic.

Judy Johnston - The Tessy & Tab Reading Club for preschoolers

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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