We hope that students and their families enjoyed some screen-free time these past two weeks. We enjoyed having them engage in games, books and yoga after school. There is a reason we encourage students to find other activities besides TV, video, etc.

An interesting study was conducted by Stanford University and reported in the media a few years back. According to Thomas Robinson, who led the study, "If you help your child reduce their exposure to media...you'll see a reduction in aggressive behavior." Researchers devised an experiment with students in grades three and four. In one school, students continued with their present viewing habits. In the other school, students participated in lessons designed to reduce their television, video and video game viewing. The children were challenged to stop viewing completely for ten days and then to limit themselves to no more than a total of seven hours per week.  

At the end of the study, the students in the school that limited their viewing had reduced their television viewing by about one-third. They also had cut back on videos and video games. The students, who had limited their television viewing, had about half as many playground incidents of verbal aggression. The researchers had students complete questionnaires to assess their classmates' behavior at the start and the end of the study. They found a twenty-five percent reduction in peer ratings of aggression for those children who limited their television viewing versus those who had not. The researchers admit that there were limitations to the study, and they intend to follow a larger group of students and see if changes in behavior are long lasting.

There are many different activities that students can enjoy besides television, videos and video games. Reading, socializing with family and friends, sports, hobbies, and volunteer service can all enrich students and fill their time with productive activities. Congratulations to our students who met the screen-free goal!

Joanne D. Beekley, Ed.D. 

Principal