Are electronic screens bad for infants?

I think this is a question many parents will be concerned about. I’ve just read this article which suggest that active screen time may be beneficial to a baby’s learning. [Here is the article: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/10/29/228125739/what-to-know-about-babies-and-screen-time-kids-screens-electronics] There is a difference between active and passive screen time. The latter is where the baby is simply left to watch a television program or film. The former would involve some kind of interaction between the baby and a person on screen (such as a skype conversation with other family members). My personal take would be that moderation is the key. I don’t think there will be any major detrimental effect on a child if he/she is given some screen time, as long as it is not the only activity the child is engaged in the entire day. Some (perhaps 15-20mins) of screen time (be it passive or active) may allow the caregiver to do other things (like cooking, going for a toilet break for example). Of course, having active and supervised screen time together with a child may be even better. I have friends who used ipads/tablets to help distract their children while driving. In all, I do think that perhaps it is more important to teach a child how to adhere to the limits set by parents on how much time they could be on the gadgets. This may help set the stage for future gadget use. Do take a look at that article to understand the potential effects of screen time on a child. :)