a slower-paced cartoon.10 It’s not just pace, either. Intense color, fantastical events, and sudden or loud noises also contribute to sensory and cognitive overload.
The Controversy Over Electromagnetic Fields and Health
Do manmade electromagnetic fields (EMFs) play a role in ESS or other health conditions? No one denies that manmade EMFs — which arise from electronic devices themselves as well as from wireless communication (such as WiFi or mobile phone frequencies) — have biological effects. It is a basic tenet of physics that nearby electromagnetic fields influence one another. The question is whether those biological effects are meaningful. In other words, do higher levels of everyday EMF exposure translate into health issues the average person wouldn’t have experienced otherwise?
At present, research on the kinds of fields produced by wireless communication is still relatively “young,” and the findings are not always consistent. However, there is a growing body of objective, non-industry-funded research — that includes studies from highly respected institutions such as Columbia, Yale, and Harvard — that suggests these fields may be harmful.11 Some of the research is highly technical and difficult to grasp; for example, some evidence suggests that extremely weak fields may be more harmful than stronger ones. Interestingly, some of the findings are strikingly similar to those found in screen-time studies, so there may be synergistic mechanisms occurring, particularly for individuals with sensitive constitutions. Personally, I feel there’s fairly strong evidence that, at a minimum, manmade EMFs cause inflammation. I also think appreciating how they can interact with the nervous system (which is, after all, electrical, and thus produces an electromagnetic field itself) adds to our understanding of how electronics impact us. My best guess is that EMFs are a portion of the stress from electronics, and that proportion varies widely depending on the individual’s chemical and electrical makeup.
Regardless, the precautionary principle dictates that when the science regarding the risks of a new technology is not yet fully conclusive — and in this case it won’t be for decades — that we should proceed with caution and minimize exposure wherever possible, particularly when it comes to children. At the same time, when one fully understands the EMF science and believes there is even possible risk to the developing child, it opens a whole new can of worms — especially considering the explosive growth of wireless communications in public places, like schools.
Because this is such a complicated and emotionally charged topic, the bulk of relevant EMF information is presented in appendix B, “Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) and Health: A ‘Charged’ Issue.” Additionally, since it’s not totally necessary to appreciate or accept the role of EMFs to address Electronic Screen Syndrome, “carving it out” reduces the amount of information you’ll need to process in order to take action. You can think of the EMF appendix as an additional layer to digest whenever you’re ready.
An Inconvenient Truth
Let’s face it. Hearing that video games, texting, and the iPad might need to be banned from your child’s life does not fill one with glorious joy. Rather, for many, it creates an immediate urge to find a way either to discredit the information or to work around it. Sometimes when I tell parents what they need to do in order to turn things around, I sense that I am losing them … their eyes shift away, they squirm, and they look like they’re in the hot seat. This is not what they want to hear. It’s as though I’m telling them they need to live without electricity — that is how ingrained screens are in our lives. The inconvenience of what I’m proposing can seem overwhelming. Aside from dreading the inconvenience, though, discussing ESS and the Reset often produces other negative feelings. Some folks feel as though their parenting skills are being judged, or that their efforts or level of exhaustion are underappreciated. Other parents feel guilty or irresponsible for not setting healthier screen-time limits to begin with, or they become acutely aware that their own screen-time use is out of balance.
Let’s dig a little deeper into some other negative reactions parents experience upon hearing about the effects of electronics or the fast itself. These are feelings that are sometimes pushed outside of everyday awareness, and these same feelings, when left unacknowledged, can undermine your success. Conversely, getting in touch with where any resistance is coming from will help you work through it, and it will help you understand others’ resistance, too. These challenges are discussed throughout the book, but because these concerns can be preoccupying, I’d like to acknowledge them here. Below are some of the reactions parents commonly experience:
• Parents feel overwhelmed by the sheer pervasiveness of screens and are convinced that removing them all will be “way too hard.”
• Parents fear the child’s reaction and worry that a fast will be met with rage, despair, and tantrums.
• Parents feel guilty about taking away a pleasurable activity, and/or they are concerned the child will no longer fit in with peers.
• Parents worry about, and even resent, losing their “electronic babysitter,” and they wonder how they will get household tasks done without it.
• Parents doubt that electronics are the problem, or they don’t believe removing them will solve their child’s problems.
• Parents worry about what others (in their family or community) will think. Will others undermine their efforts to limit screens, or view them as extremist or alarmist — and therefore not take their concerns seriously?
• Parents are annoyed by the inconvenience of removing or restricting laptops, iPads, and mobile devices they themselves use.
Of all the reactions, perhaps the hardest to deal with is guilt. No parent wants to feel they have unwittingly contributed to their child’s difficulties. And many parents already harbor guilt regarding the use of electronics. Whatever rules they have set or usage they allow, they often already feel that they are allowing “too much” and that their own use does not set the good example they’d like it to. Nor do any parents want to do something they know will put their child into a genuine state of despair; for some parents, even the thought of removing electronics causes them to feel tortured.
Guilt is an exquisitely uncomfortable emotion, and, as such, it is human nature to avoid feeling it. When it comes to electronics, one way parents assuage guilt is to rationalize its use: “Screen-time is the only time my kids are quiet.” “Electronics allow me to get things done.” “Screen-time is the only motivator that works.” “It’s what all the kids do, and anyway my child uses it a lot less than others.” “I only let her play educational games.” And so on. If you find yourself rationalizing use, simply cut yourself some slack and keep reading. I don’t want you to dwell on what’s already happened; I only wish to show you there’s a way out. On the other hand, if you think you might be rationalizing use to avoid guilty feelings over taking electronics away, then just acknowledge this fact, and know that these feelings will diminish as you take action and start to see positive changes.
Aside from guilt, parents also experience anxiety about the potential impact of an electronic fast on their child: they worry about how the child will react, about what his or her peers will think (particularly if the child already has social problems), and about whether screen restrictions will breed resentment and put additional strain on an already tense parent-child relationship. Even when parents agree that screen-time is a problem, many fear that the Reset will only produce more stress — more headaches, more tears, more work. Yet while many parents feel overwhelmed initially, most report that the Reset is far easier than they imagined. This is in part because the child “gets over it” a lot faster than the parents expect, and in part because as the relief and pleasure grow from seeing their child become happier, better behaved, and more focused, the restrictions become easier for everyone to follow.
Lastly,
