Screen Time & Your Child’s Brain

If you are reading reviews on this book, “Reset Your Child’s Brain”, then you are probably wondering why your kids are acting like aliens who have come down and invaded your child brain and turned them into difficult, moody, and depressed shells of themselves. PLEASE, do yourself and your child a favor by reading this book. You will have to put some work in as a parent and help guide your child through this process, but the end result will be beyond worth it.

I have 3 boys. Each effected differently by screen time. My youngest, was most effected. He is 11 and has always struggled with a pinch of depression, a pinch of OCD, and a little anxiety. Over the last year of so, it has gotten worse. I was ready to medicate him. After years of therapy and searching for the right tools to give him to help him with these issues, I found myself exhausted and out of ideas. He was so scattered at school. He wasn’t organized and had trouble concentrating in school, yet had no true symptoms of ADHD. His meltdowns were taxing on me and I would hold my breath every morning until I could get him to school. He often would try to stay home, crying, saying was having anxiety about school because he felt so behind and lost. When he would go to school, I would often have calls from the nurse. It was exhausting. While waiting to see a doctor who could prescribe, I came across an article by Victoria Dunckley. It was like she wrote it for us. I decided to give the book a read. IT CHANGED OUR LIFE.

My boys use to spend their weekends yelling and fighting over a certain popular video game that was literally RUINING OUR FAMILY. All they cared about was spending money on worthless online virtual weapons and skins… they would relentlessly ask me for money for this BS! I was hoping it was a fad and go away, but it doesn’t.

After reading this book, my husband and immediately did the reset. The consoles will NEVER be back in our home. The YouTube watching of video games, GONE. The phone (Gone for the little one), iPad, computers are now heavily monitored.

YES, it was hard for the first 3 weeks, then it gets easier. You have to do this when you can dedicate time and energy to your child. YOU are the one who can help your child “detox” and it will be worth EVERYTHING you go through to get there. We are 3 months into this now and my kids don’t even ask for video games. They could care less. My youngest no longer has meltdowns. He is noticeably happier and reading books like crazy. He plays outside unprompted. His teacher told me he has made a “vast improvement”. He will tell you himself how good he feels. The “depression” has vanished. He is sleeping like he has never slept before, waking up rested, no more night terrors. I could go on and on.

The science behind this book is ASTONISHING and something that every parent, counselor and educator should read.

You will get results from this book in one way or another. Find a friend to do this with, it could help you and your child to have someone else doing this at the same time. You will no longer have to yell at your kids to “finish your turn” or “put your phone away at dinner” or “20 more minutes”!

In fact, if you don’t do the reset you will spend more energy policing these games and screen time than you will if you just put the time in to do the reset.

Thank you Dr. Dunckley. My family is forever grateful for this book and your message. I feel like I have the best version of my boys back and I never ended up medicating. The answer was right there. MOOD DISORDERS ARE EXACERBATED BY SCREEN TIME!

Ok, I’ll stop now. Buy the book, or listen to the audio, or both!

Dear Dr. Dunckley,

I cannot express to you how grateful I am for your work! I’d like to take a moment and share with you our success story after reading your book and following your advice.

My 4 year old (about to turn 5 next month) had been acting up quite a bit over the last year, and generally was very moody and temperamental. He was having daily tantrums and outbursts, at home and at school, and his teachers were concerned about his behavior as well (he was very defiant, and once even threw a shoe at his teacher when she asked him to put on his coat!) He always seemed on edge, would have meltdowns often, and easily upset by even the smallest thing. We were walking on eggshells around him, constantly wondering what small thing would set him off next. Our family life is pretty calm and stable so we just couldn’t understand where all this was coming from. After one very upsetting tantrum he had at a relative’s home, my husband and I were convinced there was an undiagnosed underlying issue, perhaps adhd or defiance disorder or bipolar (“Dr” Google certainly wasn’t helping us, as everything we looked up seemed to describe him). I knew deep down there was my sweet little boy but his behavior was not aligning with who we knew him to be and I was certain this was not normal and we needed to do something to help him.

We were feeling defeated and at our wit’s end. I was about to make an appointment with his pediatrician to look into having him screened for mood disorders, when that same day through serendipity and grace I came across a link to one of your articles online, and then immediately ordered your book and started reading it. Everything you described seemed to fit my child exactly, but I was still skeptical. It seemed impossible that something as simple as screen time would cause such drastic and dramatic moods.

Plus, our son didn’t have much screen time (or so I thought– it actually ended up being close to an hour or two daily when we really tracked it) and besides, he only did iPad educational games. To my amazement (and horror) I found out those “stimulating” and “mind strengthening” games we thought were good for his brain were the root of the problem. We had been pretty careful about limiting passive television, but had no idea that the interactive games on the iPad were even worse!! This was a real eye opener! I wish this was common knowledge.

Anyway, before I even finished reading your book, I hid his iPad on a high shelf and took away all other screen time, cold turkey. I figured it was worth a shot before we went down the formal diagnosis or medicinal route.

The first couple of days were tricky, as we felt like we had to entertain him a lot more. But I had stocked up on fun coloring books and new toys like Jenga and dominos to offer him anytime he asked for the iPad. We actually didn’t discuss the screen fast with him prior to beginning, as I wanted to avoid a meltdown and thought it would make him focus more on not having the iPad if we made a big to-do about it. Instead I just removed all screens without notice while he slept and anytime he asked for it I told him “not right now” and distracted him with something else to do.

After the first couple of days he stopped asking for the iPad and I couldn’t believe how easy that that transition actually was. He started to come up with activities to entertain himself as the days went on. I didn’t hear “I’m bored” like I used to and he’d find ways to play with toys in a creative way (for example, using pieces from his art set to act out a soccer match, or arranging his dinosaurs to act out a story). His focus improved significantly too as the days went on. Just yesterday he spent half an hour engrossed in playing with his trainset. This used to never happen before the screen fast, except for when he was playing on the iPad (which was part of the reason why we relied on it since it would keep his attention when we needed some time to get stuff done). We used to use the iPad during meal times too, as a way to keep him seated and distracted enough to be fed during dinner. The dinnertime was challenging at first during the screen fast, but now he seems to be eating better and actually aware of what’s going on during dinnertime. It’s more a social experience now, as eating should be.

The most incredible change has been his overall mood. I am simply without words to describe what an improvement he has had during the screen fast. After the first two weeks really it made a huge difference. Even his teachers were commenting on what a difference they were seeing at school, and we had not even shared with them that we were doing the screen fast. He becane much more calm and happy and cooperative.

I started writing down a daily log of our son’s behavior just before we began the screen fast, and every day of the fast, just to record any progress made. As I look back now on my notes I am simply dumfounded. It’s incredible to see the issues and behaviors we were dealing with and how quickly things turned around. I am still a bit in disbelief.

Recently I went to a friend’s house with my son. He played with my friend’s daughter while the adults chatted. Never–not once- in my life have I been able to do that sort of thing without dealing with interruptions or meltdowns. We had become so accustomed to his moodiness and meltdowns, especially over the last year, that it’s shocking now to see him be able to play happily with his friend and not get bored, not interrupt the adults, be friendly and sociable, and overall so much more easygoing.

It seems so obvious now that it was the iPad stimuli causing our son’s poor sleep and moodiness and meltdowns. But we certainly would not have made that realization without you and the screen fast.

I will recommend your book to every parent I can. I feel like overexposure to screens is such a widespread problem, especially when it comes to educational games. Well-meaning parents like myself think we are giving our children a leg up in our highly digitized world by providing them with educational digital media. We have all heard the dangers of too much passive TV, but the dangers of the educational electronic activities are certainly not as commonly known as they should be!

As a parent who was all out of ideas and desperate to find solutions, you’ve helped me and my family tremendously and you have helped our son to reemerge as the sweet, kind, happy boy we knew him to be. You have potentially also saved us from seeking out a medical diagnosis or medicating him for something unnecessarily. I want to thank you so very much for helping us!! May you have continued success and earn all the joy you deserve for transforming so many families’ lives ♥️❤️

All best,

[AH]

[in subsequent email she adds]:

I’m still so shocked by how well the screen fast worked in our case. I just don’t get why this isn’t more commonly advised by pediatricians and psychiatrists. It seems it should be a common first step before jumping to medication or other things.

A lot of what you write resonates with another book I’ve come across, Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. I think all of this seems so, so obvious now in hindsight but I really had not connected the dots before. And I think for a lot of parents the connection between screen time and moods is not obvious. It will be interesting to see what we’ll think decades from now about childhood and screens.

_____________________________________________________

Hi Dr. Dunckley,

Hi. I hope you know the impact you made on me and my family. I read your book about two years ago and have recommended it to every parent I know (even my kids’ principal!!!). My children (5 and 8 years old) now watch tv (no iPads, no iPhone games allowed) twice a week at most (usually Fridays and Sundays for a couple of hours). I used your suggestions and allow them to watch older shows that are slow moving and have more muted colors including Franklin the Turtle, Berenstain Bears, Magic School Bus and some PBS shows. I’ve spoken to every parent I know who gives their children an iPad about the dangers of the dopamine releasing device, even when the activities are educational. So many aren’t aware of that!!! A number of those same parents began limiting their children’s time on iPads and iPhones as well. The results have been incredible, especially for my family. My son and daughter go straight to their books and art supplies and read and draw. They play with their toys. They hang out with each other and us. They sometimes play with our neighbors. And when it’s time for tv watching-they know they have to finish their chores and clean up first before this treat. Watching became a treat! Something to be excited about.

I’m so grateful to you for the labor you put into that book! Thank you so very much. The limited tech time brought more calm into our home, helped my kids stay on top of their after-school schedule, kept them more emotionally regulated and overall happier. It’s a respite for everyone when they are able to watch and they treat it as a privilege, not a right. We are blessed. I can’t wait to read the second edition. I have been on my own heal the journey due to an autoimmune condition and have been learning more and more about the brain. Watching the social and emotional health of society crumble due to technology has been very terrifying. Thank you for giving us parents this crucial information-it’s for the sake of the proper brain development of our children!

Gd bless you!!!

Dear Dr. Victoria,

I am just finishing your book and I would like to tell you that your book changed my life. That´s how I feel after reading it.

My little boy Martin, less than 2 years old was diagnosed last May with sensorial deficiency syndrome and one of doctor´s advice was not screens at all.
Sadly Martin watched too much TV. No Ipad or smartphones but a lot of TV. This excess of TV started to make him eat. Watching TV was the only way we found to open his mouth without any drama. So we made the terrible mistake of exposing too early and too much to the TV cartoons, specially Baby TV.

Well after only 2 weeks of zero TV (nothing at all) Martin was a new boy. It was as if TV was kidnapping him.
Before the Reset I thought Martin could have some autism or deafness. He did not make almost visual contact with me. He did not hear birds or planes. He was a little bit hyper while playing. He did not chew solids at all (even cookies), he almost did not smile. He fall too much while walking, running or playing. It was heart breaking.
And just after 2 weeks of the Reset my child was starting to change.
We are 3 people in my house that saw this change and we all say that it was a miracle.
To mention the most radical change he started to eat by himself suddenly.

Of course we are still in therapy due to the sensory syndrome but at least I am sure that my boy does not have autism.
I saw his teeth for the first time because he started to smile 

We have not watched TV in our house for more than 3 months today.
I am not understood sometimes for all my mom friends but I try to create some awareness with my experience.

I was doing the Reset already when I received your book but was your book that gave me all the understanding about the Reset. I am very very very thankful. Your book has changed our life forever.
I do not know if Martin will be able to see TV again. That is not our worry yet. We are focused to revert the damage.

Thank you doctor for your great job with children.

I wish I could have the time in the future to create more awareness about TV and screens damage in infant and toddlers. Your book and its information will be on the hands of first time moms.

Regards,
[AR]*
*Name withheld to protect privacy

Dear Dr. Dunckley,

I’m sure that you get emails like this all the time, but I am reaching out to thank you for your writing on the effects of screen time on children.

My son H. is 4 and is a bright, spirited, wonderful child. At 2.75 years old we noticed a significant change in his behavior. This was around the time we started allowing him to watch Daniel Tiger and Curious George episodes. I attributed the change to the “terrible twos,” but became increasingly exasperated when he wasn’t outgrowing these challenging behaviors at 4, despite all of our efforts. We have never used iPads or tablets with him, but he was averaging 90-115 minutes of “age appropriate” tv per day. We fell into the common trap of allowing additional screen time because we felt it was our only break from his difficult behavior. He was defiant, contrary, oppositional, and wound up so much of the time. I always knew that I was missing something because in my gut I recognized that these symptoms were physical, not simply developmental or temperament.

We are now on week 8 of a complete screen fast and the change in our son has been DRAMATIC. He is cooperative, happy, calm, and QUIET (where he had been unable to modulate his voice before!). He is sleeping better and seems infinitely more rested when waking. He is more socially engaged and all of his grandparents have MARVELED at his sudden maturity. I feel like I have my child back. Instead of pestering me and wandering around making messes, he is playing independently for long periods of time. He is also separating from me easily. It is a miracle!

I want to add that although H. is a neurotypical child and developing beautifully (I would call him precocious), he has always been a sensitive child. He has struggled with sleep since he was a baby and we discovered his ferritin is very low so he takes iron supplements. I am also very diligent about providing him with a balanced, clean, high protein/low grain diet. We have family history of ADHD, and my husband and I work hard to give him optimal health to try and offset any potential environmental factors that may lead to difficulties for him. So I suppose that is why he is more vulnerable to screen time than some of his peers.

H. is a healthy, happy, and thriving 4.5 year old, and I am SO GRATEFUL to you for your hard work in educating parents on this issue. I am an RN and my husband is a [physician], and we are so convinced that this was the “missing link” for our child, that we have been spreading the word about your work and your book. Our child (who we are CONSTANTLY complimented on now for his maturity, social engagement, and poise) is the living proof. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sincerely,
K.K.

M:  My six year old son was diagnosed with high functioning autism, ODD, and generalized anxiety disorder when he was 5 years old. He has been on medication since before then, and we’ve had him in all kinds of therapy. We recently took him to a new developmental psychologist, who suggested (almost ordered us to!) we limit our son to an hour of electronics a night. I had also purchased your book and have finished reading it. We decided to start a total detox of electronics on our son. We are starting it tomorrow; the electronics will be packed up while he’s at school. I am nervously but eager to get it started and see how my son changes in the next 3 weeks. smile emoticon

ME: Hi M, how is it going?  Are you still fasting? Definitely with autism I’d say long-term abstinence is the best. Let me know!

M:  Hello! Thank you so much for asking!! On February 29, my husband packed up all the electronics.. iPads, DSs, Wii, Xbox, laptop, and even the desktop. Dr. Dunckley, things have been unbelievable since then!! The first two days were the hardest – when he cried and fought for them. Today, he never mentions them! He got heavily into Minecraft Legos for a while and played as if he was playing online. We had to act out scenes. He’s even say “reloading” when we were changing scenes (as in, the computer was reloading). lol!! He has went to literally kicking and screaming not wanting to leave the house to asking to go to the park, the library, and so on. He plays with his siblings and even by himself. He has developed an amazing imagination since we started the fast. He also wouldn’t sit in my lap for me to read him stories. Now h reads and lets me read to him all the time. His handwriting has gone from looking like scribbles to being legible and spaced perfectly. We had an IEP meeting in January where we increased his time in the SPED room because of behavior. Now I’m getting emails from all his teachers (even the music teacher) expressing awe of our new little boy! I don’t have to give him melatonin to sleep anymore; he tells ME when it’s time for him to go to bed! We have also taken him off his Abilify! I could go on and on!! His school social worked told me I should be a speaker and advocate of limited/no screen time. ☺️ I’d love to talk to and support any parents who need convincing that this makes an enormous impact. Send them my way!

I’ll help any way I can! What’s interesting, though, is that my son was diagnosed with autism by a ped neurologist after a one hour appointment when he was 4 years old. Last year, age 5, I had a ped psychologist perform the ADOS test and an IQ test on him (as well as surveys I completed). She also diagnosed him with autism, ODD, and generalized anxiety disorder and charted his IQ at 85. Now, after the reset, I’m not sure he would “qualify” for the diagnoses. Sure, he still has some little quirks, but not nearly to the degree of how it used to be. I wonder how many children are diagnosed who really just need to be free from screens!
We are still working on a few things for him, but I think his cognitive ability has increased enough that we can hone in on some behaviors this summer. smile emoticon

I’m the mother of two boys (9 and 10) with multiple diagnostics, most of them light, but put all together make for a chaotic cocktail: severe to moderate verbal dyspraxia (language disability), sensory issues, level one autism, ADD for one and ADHD for the other, light bilateral congenital hearing loss, dyslexia and dysorthographia for one.

 There has been ongoing therapy for both boys since 2011, starting with speech therapy, occupational therapy (Padovan Method, Wilbarger Protocol, BRMT), osteopathy, naturopathy, hypnosis.

 The children have been exposed to herbal medicine, essential oils and biological foods (although not stringent) since birth. I’ve converted to gluten free and casein free diet since February 2016 (zero tolerance for GMO and additives) with fabulous success.

 Overall, the progress on my sons has been phenomenal and colossal. But my oldest son would drive me crazy with all the T.V. and computer requests. I knew I was lacking as a mother who works hard at trying to educate her offspring’s. I knew the boys should be outside more, should be playing otherwise, be more creative, respond better and faster to me, etc. I didn’t allow that much electronics (so I thought!): twenty minutes of computer per day, one hour of TV per day during the school week including the mornings and two hours per day on the weekend including the mornings. No cell phones, ipads, iphones, etc. But there were meltdowns, opposition, anxiety, sleep issues, school difficulties, fatigue, oversensitivity, etc. Although the boys’ diagnostics are accountable for the same manifestations, I will assure you that the fast has changed all of the above 70%, if not more, for the better. The results in just three weeks give the fast a gold medal. When a solution works in such short time, you know the benefits are not because your child grew up or because of the occupational therapy or osteopathy treatment they just underwent. The cleansing of the brain is visually palpable.

 We started the fast on November 28^th 2016 ending on December 19^th 2016. First, I loved the quietness in the house, although quietness is relevant. I mostly mean the lack of video noise and television noise because the house became noisy with creative play, coloring, play role with their favorite toys, family play (cards and board games). I realized I was now becoming more of an authoritarian and that my role as an educator was actually becoming easier. The fast seemed to slow down our daily pace. My husband actually expressed genuine improvements on the boys’ behavior from the fast. He has been very impressed, especially the Sunday morning when I got both boys to do a quick fifteen minutes of homework separately and ALONE!

 My oldest responded negatively before and during the first few days of the fast but was first to not want to allow the electronics back into our lives. I now only allow fifteen minutes of computer time per weekend and four hours of television time per week. I’ve had to go beyond my wished plan because of school work demand but am able to regulate the effects on my children’s brain to some extent. I quickly bring them back to the initial plan and feel confident when doing so. I strongly believe their going back to school with electronics in the classroom is negatively affecting them, but will focus on my part at home for now.

 Overall, both children have reduced their meltdowns, increased their interest in doing homework, have less fatigue, better rest, better facial color, increased energy and interest in doing new activities, increased their speed in doing homework, respond faster and with positive attitude to house chores, etc. Their minds seem clearer, their imagination stronger. They’ve actually been showing renewed interest in activities such as drawing, coloring and writing stories (remember I have boys). They used to be agitated, like little worms in their bodies moving around nonstop. Now, they are not jiggling that much any longer. When prompted to come over and see me, they actually come without a fuss! I am less nervous when parenting or when I need to discipline.

 With my last ten years of experience trying to “cure” my children of their disabilities, I’ve come to realize that our battle doesn’t lie on one cure, but in a combination of them. We live in a sick society where our food industry is adding so many chemicals; where technology has invaded us and is hurting us, making most of our leaders blind to the negative side effects; where we are hurting our Mother Earth and killing plants and animals with all the pollution; where we are looking away from bear essentials such as family time, homemade dinners, outdoor play, single tasking rather than running back and forth doing all the extra curricular activities we plan for our children, etc.

 If each of us gains the courage, the intuition, the belief, the confidence to change some basic values, we will be able to hand over a better future for our children.

 Thank you, Dr. Dunckley, for your audacity to speak out. Your book encourages others to venture ahead and do what they already know but don’t have the support to move forward with their intuition. Thank you, for giving me the opportunity to grow as a parent and to help regain my children.

It sounds like you are looking for families who have not yet done the Reset, but if a recent family still in process could be helpful, please count us in. We started on June 11, so have just completed the 3 weeks with truly miraculous results. We had looked at pretty much everything else as the cause of his severe meltdowns, including gluten, food dyes, bipolar, chromosomal abnormality, Lyme disease. The money we spent!! Your book is a lifesaver. We had dinner at the TABLE last night, he did CHORES yesterday, he had his first playdate ever! I am on several Facebook groups for parents of difficult children, and have been shocked at the unwillingness to give up screens, but I wouldn’t have had the courage to weather the withdrawal period without your book. He broke things, wept, begged — it really was like watching someone come off heroin. scary. Anyway, count me in as a huge proponent of the Reset, and I will help spread the word any way I can.

Feel free to use anything I have sent you in your pitch. I really can’t express how much it has helped us! Going on week 5, and now have to begin the post-Reset role-shuffling that happens in any family when the IP gets well. Fascinating process…

That is wonderful news! And yes, we continue to reap the success of the reset, and there is no question that it is the single agent of change. He is not medicated (we tried a few things before, but it had been about a year), and he only takes theanine twice a day and fish oil. Joaquin started back at public school on Aug 29th, and yesterday his teacher told us that she would never have known he was “difficult” if we hadn’t told her. He is not perfect, of course, because we still see many of the RAD behaviors pop up now and then, but his new baseline of emotional availability allows us to work on those things with him. He went to soccer practice last night! Last spring he wouldn’t get out of the car because he was afraid the kids would laugh at how much weight he had gained. And yes, we are still screen-free, and have recently decided that we won’t allow them a handheld device/phone until 13 (per the latest recommendations, I think?). I would be happy to be interviewed, and am truly a believer.  Your book is full of hope and practical advice and a PLAN! That’s what parents need!!!

Your book was the best thing that has ever happened to our family. I have attempted to monitor gaming and internet use in the house by nothing during the week but an hour a day on weekends. This rule was always challenged by the 11 year old son. I noticed he was organising his life around his technology time, he could not self regulate and would explode if told to get off after he had said many “hang on a minute” . I explained about the book , explained I would read it and then we will be doing a tech fast. We did everything you said and WOW my little man has a life away from technology. He now plays tennis on weekends, plays outside more and thinks of other things to do. He said to my mum today that when he discovered how good he felt when doing sport it was like a revelation! Now he doesn’t even ask to game! He likes to watch minecraft videos but can only watch one half hour one a day on weekends. He also occasionally plays minecraft with his older brother. He has stopped asking for M rated games (like his friends play). We won’t let him but he used to keep asking! He also said he sleeps better! He was never allowed on at night but I firmly believe the day exposure to the light affects sleep also. I have lent it to a friend and have recommended to so many. My biggest concern for other parents is the smart phones – given to young kids aged 12, parents pay for data plan and bang – kids are hooked. They won’t talk to each other when they have the phones and it affects homework. Neither of mine have a smart phone and they will never get one until they are old enough to sign their own contract. Many thanks for the tough advice and the true awakening this has done for our family and even for me! Unfortunately my line of work requires constant checking of social media but now I regulate my self to two times a day. I am a work in progress trying to remember to stop and be present for the kids. Thanks Victoria.

Reset Your Child’s Brain has transformed my children in ways I couldn’t have even imagined four weeks ago. I am embarrassed to say that my 3 and 7 year old boys were playing the iPad up to 10 hours a day (they each had their own. I can’t even believe that, but they did). I had suspected for some time that the iPad was particularly disruptive to my 3 year old, but I truly didn’t think I could ‘survive’ without the quiet that the tablets provided. How would I get anything done? What would the kids DO with all that time? After googling ‘is the iPad bad for kids’ and stumbling upon Dr. Dunckley’s website and book, I made the decision then and there to take it away. We actually started the fast before I was able to read the book! The results have been dramatic with my 3 year old.

We went from:
– 3-5 meltdowns a day
– struggling with transitions between activities (putting the iPad down to eat, bathe, leave the house, go to bed, etc),
– aggression towards his 1 year old brother,
– and just general instability in his personality (constantly walking on eggshells around him)

to a child who:
– has 1 meltdown or less per day (he routinely has days without meltdowns and it’s MUCH more mild when it does happen),
– transitions are no longer an issue and do not cause meltdowns
– he plays gently and enthusiastically with his younger brother; he even asks if he can hold the baby now!
– his personality is so much more even keeled; small things no longer set him off or trigger meltdowns

My 7 year old used to routinely complain how BORED he was (after he had watched every video he was remotely interested in on YouTube). I would say “You have a room full of toys your never play with. Go find something.” and he would respond with how boring ALL his toys were and there was nothing fun to do. He now plays enthusiastically with his toys, pretending with everything from Star Wars to building with blocks, to drawing (without using the iPad to think of things to draw). We now have a stash of board games to play in the evenings rather than stare at screens and I’ve found that I absolutely TREASURE the extra time I spend engaged with them. It sounds sappy, but it’s true. I was so worried that taking the iPads away would mean so much more work for me, finding things to keep them occupied and it first, it was more work. But 4 weeks in, they now find their own activities to keep them busy and entertained. I can’t believe what a complete turnaround it’s been for us. This book was a lifesaver for my family.

PURCHASE THIS BOOK!!! Full disclosure: I am only part way through this book, but what I have read so far and already implemented in my household makes this worth it 100% already. My son just turned 2 years old and we took TV time from him at the end of January (it’s now March 19th) and we have seen a dramatic change in his behavior and overall development. I was initially against letting him watch TV at all because I had done research about the effects of TV on development in young children. Fast forward to when he’s 15 months old, I let those close to me convince me that as long as I let him watch non violent and educational TV and just short amounts he will be okay. He was NOT okay and he became absolutely obsessed with wanting to watch it. Of course I didn’t give in each time, but as the time went on he stopped wanting to repeat words, he became extremely agitated and when he woke up all he wanted to do was watch TV. Finally I said no more and took it away strictly as directed in this book. Within just a week he was giving us more eye contact, he began interested in talking more, and he was a lot less aggressive with us and other kids. My husband and I were truly concerned that he had autism because of all the behaviors he was exhibiting, but now almost 2 months later and having worked with a speech therapist for awhile, I am almost certain those autism related behaviors were from his watching TV. We do not plan on introducing screen time beyond FaceTime with grandparents/family for a long time!!