3 fears about screen time for kids -- and why they're not true | Sara DeWitt

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Regina Chu

I want us to start by thinking about this device,

一開始，我們就先來想想這個裝置，

the phone that's very likely in your pockets right now.

現在你們的口袋裡 很可能就有一支手機。

Over 40 percent of Americans check their phones

超過 40% 的美國人，

每天早上起床後的五分鐘內 就會去看他們的手機。

within five minutes of waking up every morning.

And then they look at it another 50 times during the day.

且一天當中，他們 大約要看手機 50 次。

Grownups consider this device to be a necessity.

成人認為這個裝置是必需品。

But now I want you to imagine it in the hands of a three-year-old,

但，我想請各位想像一下， 當三歲孩子持有它時，

and as a society, we get anxious.

身為一個社會，我們會感到焦慮。

Parents are very worried

父母非常擔心

that this device is going to stunt their children's social growth;

這個裝置會妨礙他們的孩子 在社交方面成長；

that it's going to keep them from getting up and moving;

會他們的孩子不想起來動一動；

that somehow,

他們總覺得，

this is going to disrupt childhood.

這個裝置將會擾亂孩子的童年。

So, I want to challenge this attitude.

所以，我想要挑戰這種態度。

I can envision a future

我可以想像一個未來，

where we would be excited to see a preschooler interacting with a screen.

在這個未來中，我們會很高興 看到學齡前兒童與螢幕互動。

These screens can get kids up and moving even more.

這些螢幕能讓孩子們 更常起來動一動。

They have the power to tell us more about what a child is learning

比起標準化的測驗， 這些螢幕能告訴我們更多

than a standardized test can.

孩童學習狀況的資訊。

And here's the really crazy thought:

還有一個相當瘋狂的想法：

I believe that these screens have the power

我相信，這些螢幕有辦法可以

to prompt more real-life conversations

促進孩子與父母之間的

between kids and their parents.

真實生活對話。

Now, I was perhaps an unlikely champion for this cause.

我可能不太像個 理想的提倡者或擁護者，

I studied children's literature

我學的是兒童文學，

because I was going to work with kids and books.

因為我打算做 和孩子及書本相關的工作。

But about 20 years ago,

但大約二十年前，

I had an experience that shifted my focus.

有一項經歷轉變了我重視的焦點。

I was helping lead a research study about preschoolers and websites.

我當時在領導一項關於 學齡前兒童及網站的研究。

And I walked in and was assigned a three-year-old named Maria.

我走進去，一個名叫瑪莉亞的 三歲小孩被分配給我。

Maria had actually never seen a computer before.

瑪莉亞以前從來沒有看過電腦。

So the first thing I had to do was teach her how to use the mouse,

所以我要做的第一件事， 就是教她用滑鼠，

and when I opened up the screen, she moved it across the screen,

當我打開螢幕， 她在螢幕上移動滑鼠，

and she stopped on a character named X the Owl.

接著她停在一個叫做 「貓頭鷹Ｘ」的角色上。

And when she did that,

當她這麼做時，

the owl lifted his wing and waved at her.

貓頭鷹舉起牠的翅膀，向她揮手。

Maria dropped the mouse, pushed back from the table, leaped up

瑪莉亞丟下滑鼠， 推開桌子，整個人跳起來，

and started waving frantically back at him.

開始瘋狂地向牠揮手回應。

Her connection to that character

她與那個角色的連結

was visceral.

是發自內心本能的。

This wasn't a passive screen experience.

這並不是一次被動的螢幕體驗。

This was a human experience.

這是一次人類的體驗。

And it was exactly appropriate for a three-year-old.

且這對三歲孩子來說是很適合的。

I've now worked at PBS Kids for more than 15 years,

我在「PBS Kids」（公共電視孩童台）

工作已經超過十五年，

and my work there is focused on harnessing the power of technology

我在那裡的工作， 主要是利用科技的力量，

as a positive in children's lives.

來對孩童的生活產生正面的影響。

I believe that as a society, we're missing a big opportunity.

我相信，身為一個社會， 我們錯過了一個大機會。

We're letting our fear and our skepticism

我們允許我們對這些裝置的

about these devices

恐懼以及懷疑，

hold us back from realizing their potential

造成我們不願去了解 它們在我們孩子生活中

in our children's lives.

能夠發揮什麼潛力。

Fear about kids and technology is nothing new;

與孩子和科技相關的恐懼 並不是新鮮事；

we've been here before.

我們以前就會如此。

Over 50 years ago, the debate was raging about the newly dominant media:

至少五十年前，人們就在猛烈地 辯論著新興的優勢支配媒體：

the television.

電視。

That box in the living room?

客廳裡的那個盒子？

It might be separating kids from one another.

它可能會將孩子們彼此隔離。

It might keep them away from the outside world.

可能會讓他們不願接觸外面的世界。

But this is the moment when Fred Rogers,

但就在這個時刻，佛瑞德羅傑斯，

the long-running host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,"

他長期主持 《羅傑斯先生的鄰居》，

challenged society to look at television as a tool,

提出了挑戰，他要這個社會 將電視視為是一種工具，

a tool that could promote emotional growth.

一種能夠促進情緒成長的工具。

Here's what he did:

他當時這麼做：

he looked out from the screen, and he held a conversation,

他從螢幕向外看， 然後開始進行對話，

as if he were speaking to each child individually

彷彿他是在對每位孩童個別說話，

about feelings.

跟他們談感受。

And then he would pause

接著，他會暫停，

and let them think about them.

讓孩童們去思考這些感受。

You can see his influence across the media landscape today,

現今，你們都知道他在 整個媒體界的影響力，

but at the time, this was revolutionary.

但在當時，他的做法 是很具革命性的。

He shifted the way we looked at television in the lives of children.

他改變了我們如何看待 小孩生命中電視造成的影響。

Today it's not just one box.

現今的科技已經不再只是個盒子。

Kids are surrounded by devices.

孩子的身邊都是裝置。

And I'm also a parent -- I understand this feeling of anxiety.

我也為人父母── 我了解焦慮的感覺。

But I want us to look at three common fears

但我希望大家能看看

that parents have,

父母最常見的三種恐懼，

and see if we can shift our focus

並試試看我們能否把我們 對於每一種恐懼的焦點

to the opportunity that's in each of them.

轉移到它們所帶來的機會。

So.

就來看看。

Fear number one:

第一種恐懼：

"Screens are passive.

「螢幕是被動的。

This is going to keep our kids from getting up and moving."

它會讓我們的孩子 不願意起來動一動。」

Chris Kratt and Martin Kratt are zoologist brothers

克里斯克拉特和馬丁克拉特 是一對動物學家兄弟，

who host a show about animals called "Wild Kratts."

他們主持的動物節目叫 「克拉特的動物世界」。

And they approached the PBS team to say,

他們與公共電視的團隊商量：

"Can we do something with those cameras

「我們能不能用現在每個裝置裡

that are built into every device now?

都有內建的那種相機來做點什麼？

Could those cameras capture a very natural kid play pattern --

那些相機能否捕捉到一種 非常自然的孩童玩樂模式──

pretending to be animals?"

假扮動物？」

So we started with bats.

所以，我們從蝙蝠開始。

And when kids came in to play this game,

當孩子們來節目裡玩這項遊戲，

they loved seeing themselves on-screen with wings.

他們很愛看到自己在螢幕上展翅。

But my favorite part of this,

但我最喜歡的部份是，

when the game was over and we turned off the screens?

當遊戲結束，我們關了 螢幕之後，會怎麼樣？

The kids kept being bats.

孩子們仍然繼續當蝙蝠。

They kept flying around the room,

他們繼續在房間裡到處飛，

they kept veering left and right to catch mosquitoes.

他們一下轉左一下轉右， 想去抓蚊子。

And they remembered things.

而且他們會記得一些事。

They remembered that bats fly at night.

他們記得蝙蝠是在晚上飛行。

And they remembered that when bats sleep,

他們記得當蝙蝠睡覺時，

they hang upside down and fold their wings in.

會倒掛著，並把翅膀折進來。

This game definitely got kids up and moving.

這個遊戲絕對能讓 孩子們起來動一動。

But also, now when kids go outside,

此外，現在當孩子們到外面去時，

do they look at a bird and think,

他們是否會看著鳥兒並心想：

"How does a bird fly differently than I flew

「為何那隻鳥的飛行式和我當蝙蝠時

when I was a bat?"

有所不同？」

The digital technology prompted embodied learning

數位科技促成了體感學習，

that kids can now take out into the world.

孩子能把這種學習 帶到外面的世界裡。

Fear number two:

第二種恐懼：

"Playing games on these screens is just a waste of time.

「在螢幕上玩遊戲是浪費時間。

It's going to distract children from their education."

孩子會分心而無法專注在教育上。」

Game developers know

遊戲開發者知道，

that you can learn a lot about a player's skill

你可以從後端資料中看到很多

by looking at the back-end data:

關於玩家技巧的資訊：

Where did a player pause?

玩家在哪兒停頓了一下？

Where did they make a few mistakes before they found the right answer?

他們在哪兒犯了些錯誤， 然後才找到正確答案？

My team wanted to take that tool set and apply it to academic learning.

我的團隊想要把這套工具 拿來用在學術學習上。

Our producer in Boston, WGBH,

我們在波士頓的 公共電視台 (WGBH) 製作人

created a series of Curious George games

創作了一系列的 《好奇猴喬治》遊戲，

focused on math.

遊戲主題是數學。

And researchers came in and had 80 preschoolers play these games.

研究者讓 80 位 學齡前兒童玩這些遊戲。

They then gave all 80 of those preschoolers

接著，他們讓全部 80 位兒童

a standardized math test.

都去做一項標準化的數學測驗。

We could see early on

在初期可以發現，

that these games were actually helping kids

這些遊戲確實能協助孩子

understand some key skills.

了解一些關鍵技能。

But our partners at UCLA wanted us to dig deeper.

但我們在洛杉磯加大的 合作伙伴還想再深入研究。

They focus on data analysis and student assessment.

他們把焦點放在 資料分析與學生評估。

And they wanted to take that back-end game-play data

他們想要用後端那些 與玩遊戲相關資料，

and see if they could use it to predict a child's math scores.

來嘗試預測孩子的數學分數。

So they made a neural net -- they essentially trained the computer

他們建了一個類神經網路 ──他們訓練電腦

to use this data,

來使用這些資料，

and here are the results.

結果在這裡。

This is a subset of the children's standardized math scores.

這是孩子的標準化數學 分數的子集合。

And this

而這個，

is the computer's prediction of each child's score,

是電腦針對每個孩子預測的分數，

based on playing some Curious George games.

預測的根據就是他們玩 《好奇猴喬治》的資料。

The prediction is astonishingly accurate,

預測的準確度高得驚人，

especially considering the fact that these games weren't built

更何況這些遊戲還不是為了評估

for assessment.

而打造的。

The team that did this study believes that games like these

這項研究的團隊相信， 比起標準化測驗，

can teach us more about a child's cognitive learning

像這樣的遊戲反而能夠 告訴我們更多關於孩童在

than a standardized test can.

認知學習方面的資訊。

What if games could reduce testing time in the classroom?

假如遊戲能夠減少 在教室中的測驗時間呢？

What if they could reduce testing anxiety?

假如遊戲能減少測驗的焦慮呢？

How could they give teachers snapshots of insight

遊戲如何能提供簡要的 洞察資訊給老師，

to help them better focus their individualized learning?

來協助他們更聚焦在 個別化的學習上？

So the third fear I want to address

我想說明的第三種恐懼，

is the one that I think is often the biggest.

是我認為一般人最大的恐懼。

And that's this:

它就是：

"These screens are isolating me from my child."

「這些螢幕把我和 我的孩子隔離了。」

Let's play out a scenario.

我們來做一下情境模擬。

Let's say that you are a parent,

比如說，你是為人父母，

and you need 25 minutes of uninterrupted time

你需要 25 分鐘不被打斷的時間，

to get dinner ready.

才能把晚餐準備好。

And in order to do that, you hand a tablet to your three-year-old.

為了做到這一點，你把一台 平板電腦拿給你的三歲孩子。

Now, this is a moment where you probably feel very guilty

這個時刻，你可能會對自己的行為

about what you just did.

很有罪惡感。

But now imagine this:

但，現在想像一下：

Twenty minutes later, you receive a text message.

二十分鐘後，你的手機 收到一個文字訊息。

on that cell phone that's always within arm's reach.

你的手機總是放在 手臂可及的距離之內。

And it says: "Alex just matched five rhyming words.

訊息是：「艾力克斯剛剛 配對出了五個押韻的字。

Ask him to play this game with you.

叫他跟你一起玩這個遊戲。

Can you think of a word that rhymes with 'cat'?

你能不能想出一個和 「cat（貓）」押韻的字？

Or how about 'ball'?"

或是「ball（球）」？

In our studies, when parents receive simple tips like these,

在我們的研究中，當父母 收到像這樣簡單的提示，

they felt empowered.

他們會有被賦予能力的感覺。

They were so excited

他們會非常興奮，

to play these games at the dinner table with their kids.

想要和他們的孩子 在餐桌上玩這些遊戲。

And the kids loved it, too.

他們的孩子也很愛玩。

Not only did it feel like magic that their parents knew

一方面，他們覺得很神奇， 因為他們的父母

what they had been playing,

知道他們剛在玩什麼，

kids love to play games with their parents.

另一方面，孩子熱愛和父母玩遊戲。

Just the act of talking to kids about their media

單單是和孩子談論 他們的媒體，這個動作的力量

can be incredibly powerful.

就是非常強大的。

Last summer, Texas Tech University published a study

去年夏天，德州科技大學 發表了一項研究，

that the show "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" could promote

顯示《老虎丹尼爾的鄰居們》 這個節目能夠促進

the development of empathy among children.

孩童們之間的同理心發展。

But there was a really important catch to this study:

但這項研究中有個非常重要的條件：

the greatest benefit was only when parents talked to kids

最大的好處，只有發生在 當父母和孩子談到

about what they watched.

他們看了什麼的時候。

Neither just watching

單單只有看、

nor just talking about it was enough;

或單單只有談，都不足夠；

it was the combination that was key.

關鍵是兩者的結合。

So when I read this study,

當我讀到這項研究時，

I started thinking about

我開始想，

how rarely parents of preschoolers actually talk to kids about the content

學齡前兒童的父母有多麼不常 和他們談論他們剛剛玩的遊戲

of what they're playing and what they're watching.

或是看的節目的內容。

And so I decided to try it with my four-year-old.

所以我決定用我的四歲孩子來實驗。

I said,

我說：

"Were you playing a car game earlier today?"

「你剛剛是不是在 玩一個汽車遊戲？」

And Benjamin perked up and said,

班傑明活潑起來，並說：

"Yes! And did you see that I made my car out of a pickle?

「是的！你有沒有看到 我用醬瓜做出我的車？

It was really hard to open the trunk."

要打開後車廂還蠻困難的。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This hilarious conversation about what was fun in the game

那天早上我們一直繼續 愉快地對話，談論遊戲中的趣味、

and what could have been better

怎樣做可能會更好，

continued all the way to school that morning.

一路開開心心地到學校。

I'm not here to suggest to you that all digital media is great for kids.

我並不是說所有的數位媒體 都對孩子是很好的。

There are legitimate reasons for us to be concerned

我們之所以會憂心目前這些螢幕上

about the current state of children's content

呈現出哪些給兒童看的內容，

on these screens.

是有正當理由的。

And it's right for us to be thinking about balance:

我們是應該要去想平衡的議題：

Where do screens fit against all the other things

該如何將螢幕納入到 孩子學習和成長過程中

that a child needs to do to learn and to grow?

所需要的東西之中？

But when we fixate on our fears about it,

但當我們一心想著對它的恐懼，

we forget a really major point,

我們就會忘了真正的重點，

and that is, that kids are living in the same world that we live in,

重點就是，孩子所生活的世界 和我們生活的世界是一樣的，

the world where the grownups check their phones

在這個世界中，成人每天會

more than 50 times a day.

看手機至少五十次。

Screens are a part of children's lives.

螢幕是孩童生活的一部份。

And if we pretend that they aren't,

如果我們要假裝不是這樣，

or if we get overwhelmed by our fear,

或如果我們的恐懼 大到讓我們不知所措，

kids are never going to learn how and why to use them.

孩子就永遠不會學到如何 以及為什麼要使用它們。

What if we start raising our expectations

如果我們現在就開始

提高我們對這種媒體的期望呢？

for this media?

What if we start talking to kids regularly

如果我們現在就開始常常與孩子

about the content on these screens?

談論這些螢幕的內容呢？

What if we start looking for the positive impacts

如果我們現在就開始尋找這些科技

that this technology can have in our children's lives?

對我們孩子的生活 有哪些正向影響呢？

That's when the potential of these tools can become a reality.

能做到這些時， 這些工具的潛力就能實現。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）