The parents using play to stop children getting 'trapped' by screens

BBC News
April 10, 2026
2 min read

Quick Insights

The Bottom Line

Parents are using play and interaction to help children develop and reduce screen time dependency.

How This Affects You

Parents can use these insights to encourage more interactive play and speech, potentially aiding their children's brain development and reducing screen reliance.

AI Summary

Parents are actively using play-based methods to prevent their children from becoming overly reliant on digital screens. This approach is driven by researchers who assert that increased speech and interaction are crucial for fostering healthy brain development in young children. The strategy aims to counteract potential negative effects of excessive screen time on cognitive and social skills. By prioritizing interactive play, parents are directly applying scientific findings to support their children's early developmental stages. This initiative highlights a growing concern among families and experts regarding the impact of technology on childhood.

What's Being Done

Researchers state that more speech and interaction can aid young brain development.

Following this story?

Get notified when new coverage appears

Should this be getting more attention?

You Might Have Missed

Related stories from different sources and perspectives

Parents charged after toddler snuck into wolf enclosure at Pennsylvania zoo
Civil Rights

Parents charged after toddler snuck into wolf enclosure at Pennsylvania zoo

<p>Parents face child endangerment charge after their kid suffered a minor injury at ZooAmerica in Hersheypark</p><p>The parents of a toddler who suffered a minor injury at a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a> theme park zoo after squeezing through a fence near a wolf enclosure and making contact with one of the animals have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, with police accusing them of paying attention to their cellphones at the time.</p><p>In a news release, police said that the parents both walked about 25ft to 30ft (7.5 meters to 9 meters) away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones when they noticed what was happening Saturday at ZooAmerica in Hersheypark.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/07/parents-charged-child-endangerment-hersheypark-pennsylvania">Continue reading...</a>

The Guardian US NewsApr 7
ICE officers shoot man in California immigration stop
Civil Rights

ICE officers shoot man in California immigration stop

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shot and injured a man during an attempted stop in California on Tuesday, according to federal authorities. The officers fired shots at Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez during a targeted traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the city of Patterson. His attorney said he is now hospitalized and “fighting for…

The HillApr 8
Renovate or Replace: The Fight Over How to Fix N.Y.C. Public Housing
Politics

Renovate or Replace: The Fight Over How to Fix N.Y.C. Public Housing

The city thinks four developments in Chelsea are too run-down to be saved, and wants to rebuild them, adding mixed-income housing. Some residents are opposed.

New York TimesApr 5
'How are you using AI?' Your therapist should ask you that question, experts argue
Health

'How are you using AI?' Your therapist should ask you that question, experts argue

A paper in <em>JAMA Psychiatry</em> says mental health providers should ask if patients are using artificial intelligence chatbots, just as they would ask patients about sleep habits and substance use.

NPRApr 10
WATCH: Motorcycle crash narrowly misses children
Health

WATCH: Motorcycle crash narrowly misses children

Video shows a motorcycle narrowly missing four children near San Antonio before hitting a pole and bursting into flames.

ABC NewsApr 7
Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zoo - AP News
Health

Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zoo - AP News

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFBVV95cUxOR09nV190WXpOV2Y0WWVUalJFSnYxZXNtcHhxTTFXcmhwX1VpQXFRRlFneS0xbFM1aTFSdU1DbGRYY09Gem5OVEladEpHLXhibTc2dzczVmNQQS0ydlNtLUxOYUNSbjA4eS01N204SG5BeXJZQ2R3OWNfNE53UHNIS0k0UHZFT3VrOXhBNkMtYjA0SXB0TVhaak02TnNvRW4xeXJDeUc0VEZ2TlU5?oc=5" target="_blank">Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zoo</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>

AP NewsApr 7
Read Next
Black women in Georgia turn to midwives for safer births – so why does the state criminalize many of them?
Health

Black women in Georgia turn to midwives for safer births – so why does the state criminalize many of them?

<p>A new lawsuit seeks to decriminalize the work of midwives banned from providing care amid a worsening maternal health crisis</p><p>When Tamara Taitt moved to Georgia in 2023 to run the Atlanta Birth Center, she found herself in what she calls “an extraordinary position”. Under Georgia law, the center’s own executive director cannot provide routine clinical care for the center’s own clients. She could even face criminal charges for doing so.</p><p>Taitt is a nationally accredited midwife. She directs one of the only freestanding birth centers in the state – a destination for women seeking to give birth outside a hospital, cared for by midwives rather than obstetricians. Families choose birth centers to access more holistic, less medicalized prenatal care and birth, and to avoid invasive medical interventions in a state where C-sections occur at three times the rate recommended by the World Health Organization.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/11/georgia-mi...

Continue reading

Did this story change how you see things?

Stories like this only matter when people see them. Help us get verified journalism in front of more eyes.

Share this story

Get the daily digest

Save for later

The Verity Ledger curates verified investigative journalism from trusted sources only.

See our sources