I don't worry much about screen time — I'm more concerned about the content

My wife and I try to keep screens and screen time to a minimum in our house, but we do sometimes watch TV together and focus on shows that teach our kids. For me, a screen isn’t scary; what matters is the type of content. Watching a pre-teen baking show, for example, introduced me to chocolate ganache and gave us a moment to talk about perseverance when a contestant kept rebuilding a cake after it crumbled.

We live in a Philadelphia rowhome with our two children, who are under 5, and have kept TVs out of bedrooms and devices out of our daily routine. On trips we rely on music and games, and in good weather we take long walks and visit our neighborhood rec center. When stuck indoors, screens can help, but our kids have also learned to invent their own play worlds when boredom forces them to be creative.

Public conversation has grown more skeptical of screens, and some governments are taking action — from limiting exposure for very young children in childcare settings to making schools cell-phone-free.

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