March 10, 2025 • 6 mins
Licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapist Kelly Shoup joined Todd Walker on the Monday edition of "Lima's Morning News" to implore parents to keep young kids away from the screens.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know a lot of times when we have the
kids around our other people's kids or grandkids or nieces
and nephews, you get frazzled and you hand them the
iPad or their phone and let them stare at that
for a while. And we probably shouldn't do that. And
here to talk about that with us is Kelly Shoop.
She's a licensed to pediatric occupational therapist, and of course
(00:25):
she's a mom, so she's got real life experience with
three kids, right, Kelly, Yes, yeah, And we're going to
talk about screen time. And I think we all instinctually
know that it's bad for young ones, especially to just
be staring at these screens all day, use them as
a babysitter and effect. But what can you tell us
(00:47):
that it's more on a scientific level than my gut
level here.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, I think a lot of it is just the
gut level. And so there's so many different studies that
you know, I can't really quote you all the specifics
of them. But what I what I families that I help,
what I tell them is that a device equals difficulties
(01:12):
and deficiencies down the road. And so if you're going
to think about giving your child a device. Just know
that you're hindering valuable skills that they need to be
getting right now, and that giving them a device is
them passive. They have passive entertainment. They aren't doing the
ones the doing the thing right, They're just watching on
(01:35):
a screen. And kids at those ages need to be
actively moving and grabbing things and experiencing things. They need
to be talking and making different sounds and practicing words
and watching people's nonverbal eye contact. Social emotional skills are
being formed at those early ages. Even though when parents
(01:57):
look at their kids, they're like them just on the carpet,
playing with that pile of blocks. They're learning a bunch
of things. I'm like, yes, that is their job to play.
They're picking up so much valuable things that they'll you know,
use when they go to first grade, and they'll use
in third grade when they play soccer, and they'll use
it in middle school when they're trying to you know,
(02:18):
run for student counselor or whatever. So so vital.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
We're talking with Kelly Shoope, a licensed pediatric occupational therapist.
Screen time for kids. It's bad, and from what you
were just saying, it is especially bad at the younger ages.
I guess if you could give us an idea of
when you could at least start to maybe have your
kids have their own device, how long should you hold
(02:45):
off on that?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Well, I don't recommend. I mean even to my teenagers
who have their own cell phones, and they didn't get
cell phones until probably seventh grade. All the devices are
all mine. So my kids own no electronic devices and
I have control of them. And that's hard. Some parents
(03:11):
don't want to be the parent and make the call
that no, we are not having screens during at the
dinner table, No we are not using a device when
we're you know, having family time. And so it's parents knowing, Okay,
my child might be resistance to this, but I have
(03:32):
to stand for their growth and development and for me
my kids. I was like, you know, I know you
don't like it. I don't care, like I'm going to
stand before God and account for how I raised you.
And so this is why I'm doing what I'm doing.
And it's so incredibly important.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
And Kelly, I think we may be finding already that
some young parents grew up with these devices themselves, and
it's it's hard to convince them, right.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Right, Yes, and so. But some of these parents actually
understand because they will tell me, oh, you know, I
wasn't good at that. I never I couldn't play sports.
I didn't have any talent for that. And that tells
me that there were skills there that didn't get developed.
Because kids are wired at birth for movement, for activity,
(04:26):
for coordination, for strength, but we just have to foster
it and facilitate it, you know, when they're seven and under,
when their body and brain is so malleable and it's
so ready for growth and learning and development.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, and this is the key for our future generations
that parents keep this in mind. And I guess if
there could be some parents out there that you know,
are realizing the mistake of their ways, but their kids
are already seven, eight and nine maybe, and they're noticing problems.
It's not too late to correct it, is it?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
No, not at all. And so you know, if you're
going to minimize the screens for your seven eight nine
year old, I would have a family meeting and just say, hey,
here's the deal, where you know, mom and dad are
going to change some things. It's going to look like this.
I know it's you're not going to like it, and
(05:23):
usually it takes seven to ten days of withdrawal where
kids are complaining, complaining, complaining, I need the iPad, let
me watch TV. I need it. I know I wanted,
you know. And so I warned parents, I give yourself
ten days of hell because they're going to be complaining
and you're going to want to give in. But after
those ten days, kids are kind of like, Okay, this
(05:44):
is the program. There's there's no screen time, and they
will go outside and they'll use their imagination. What I
don't like about the screens is that kids are getting
the imagination of somebody else. But I want them thinking
I want them. I want them, you know, having their
own little world, because that impacts how their dreams are
(06:07):
in their thirties, do they have the skills to dream
about what they want their life to be like that
started forming when they were under seven.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Kelly Shop is our guest, a pediatric occupational therapist. She
has a podcast called Making Sense of Parenting if you
want to check that out. Kelly, we appreciate your time
this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Thank you so much. Have a great day.
You know a lot of times when we have the
kids around our other people's kids or grandkids or nieces
and nephews, you get frazzled and you hand them the
iPad or their phone and let them stare at that
for a while. And we probably shouldn't do that. And
here to talk about that with us is Kelly Shoop.
She's a licensed to pediatric occupational therapist, and of course
(00:25):
she's a mom, so she's got real life experience with
three kids, right, Kelly, Yes, yeah, And we're going to
talk about screen time. And I think we all instinctually
know that it's bad for young ones, especially to just
be staring at these screens all day, use them as
a babysitter and effect. But what can you tell us
(00:47):
that it's more on a scientific level than my gut
level here.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, I think a lot of it is just the
gut level. And so there's so many different studies that
you know, I can't really quote you all the specifics
of them. But what I what I families that I help,
what I tell them is that a device equals difficulties
(01:12):
and deficiencies down the road. And so if you're going
to think about giving your child a device. Just know
that you're hindering valuable skills that they need to be
getting right now, and that giving them a device is
them passive. They have passive entertainment. They aren't doing the
ones the doing the thing right, They're just watching on
(01:35):
a screen. And kids at those ages need to be
actively moving and grabbing things and experiencing things. They need
to be talking and making different sounds and practicing words
and watching people's nonverbal eye contact. Social emotional skills are
being formed at those early ages. Even though when parents
(01:57):
look at their kids, they're like them just on the carpet,
playing with that pile of blocks. They're learning a bunch
of things. I'm like, yes, that is their job to play.
They're picking up so much valuable things that they'll you know,
use when they go to first grade, and they'll use
in third grade when they play soccer, and they'll use
it in middle school when they're trying to you know,
(02:18):
run for student counselor or whatever. So so vital.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
We're talking with Kelly Shoope, a licensed pediatric occupational therapist.
Screen time for kids. It's bad, and from what you
were just saying, it is especially bad at the younger ages.
I guess if you could give us an idea of
when you could at least start to maybe have your
kids have their own device, how long should you hold
(02:45):
off on that?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Well, I don't recommend. I mean even to my teenagers
who have their own cell phones, and they didn't get
cell phones until probably seventh grade. All the devices are
all mine. So my kids own no electronic devices and
I have control of them. And that's hard. Some parents
(03:11):
don't want to be the parent and make the call
that no, we are not having screens during at the
dinner table, No we are not using a device when
we're you know, having family time. And so it's parents knowing, Okay,
my child might be resistance to this, but I have
(03:32):
to stand for their growth and development and for me
my kids. I was like, you know, I know you
don't like it. I don't care, like I'm going to
stand before God and account for how I raised you.
And so this is why I'm doing what I'm doing.
And it's so incredibly important.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
And Kelly, I think we may be finding already that
some young parents grew up with these devices themselves, and
it's it's hard to convince them, right.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Right, Yes, and so. But some of these parents actually
understand because they will tell me, oh, you know, I
wasn't good at that. I never I couldn't play sports.
I didn't have any talent for that. And that tells
me that there were skills there that didn't get developed.
Because kids are wired at birth for movement, for activity,
(04:26):
for coordination, for strength, but we just have to foster
it and facilitate it, you know, when they're seven and under,
when their body and brain is so malleable and it's
so ready for growth and learning and development.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, and this is the key for our future generations
that parents keep this in mind. And I guess if
there could be some parents out there that you know,
are realizing the mistake of their ways, but their kids
are already seven, eight and nine maybe, and they're noticing problems.
It's not too late to correct it, is it?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
No, not at all. And so you know, if you're
going to minimize the screens for your seven eight nine
year old, I would have a family meeting and just say, hey,
here's the deal, where you know, mom and dad are
going to change some things. It's going to look like this.
I know it's you're not going to like it, and
(05:23):
usually it takes seven to ten days of withdrawal where
kids are complaining, complaining, complaining, I need the iPad, let
me watch TV. I need it. I know I wanted,
you know. And so I warned parents, I give yourself
ten days of hell because they're going to be complaining
and you're going to want to give in. But after
those ten days, kids are kind of like, Okay, this
(05:44):
is the program. There's there's no screen time, and they
will go outside and they'll use their imagination. What I
don't like about the screens is that kids are getting
the imagination of somebody else. But I want them thinking
I want them. I want them, you know, having their
own little world, because that impacts how their dreams are
(06:07):
in their thirties, do they have the skills to dream
about what they want their life to be like that
started forming when they were under seven.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Kelly Shop is our guest, a pediatric occupational therapist. She
has a podcast called Making Sense of Parenting if you
want to check that out. Kelly, we appreciate your time
this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Thank you so much. Have a great day.
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