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I think a sensible amount of media varies based on the other things happening in a kid's life.  When I was in middle and high school, my friends and I played a lot of video and computer games.  One guy in particular spent nearly all of his time outside of school playing games online.  But, consider the alternative.  This fellow had a dad out of the picture and in trouble with the law, and a mom who worked constantly and wasn't around in the evenings.  My friend lived in a poor area of Southeast Portland, and other kids on his street were getting into drugs and petty crime while my friend was raising himself on video games. 

My point is that too-much-screen exists on a continuum of things kids can spend their time doing.  There are far better things, of course. But there are worse ones as well.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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