Without any guiding policies or communication with parents and community members, recreational screen time is becoming excessive in Ottawa elementary school classrooms, particularly during lunch and snack breaks. In many classrooms, it is now the standard daily routine for the children to watch TV during lunch and snack breaks, in some classes up to three times a day. During this unstructured time when children would otherwise have the opportunity to connect socially with their peers, their attention is claimed by a screen. 

We are asking our school systems to take into consideration the experts' evidence-based recommendations, such as: 

• to have screen-free times, especially for meals and socializing
• that parents set specific limits to their children’s screen time (which requires them to be included in their children’s schools’ policies and practices in this area)
• that parents/educators are present, engaged and “co-view and talk about content” during TV viewing
• to prioritize face-to-face interactions and ensure that screen time does not interfere with opportunities to socialize
• to recognize that “complaints about being bored or unhappy without access to technology” and “oppositional behaviour in response to screen time limits” are signs that screen use is problematic. In other words, if children seem to need screen time to regulate their emotions and behaviours, this should not be reinforced or catered to.

These guidelines are shared by countless expert organizations including the Canadian Paediatrics Society, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Physical and Health Education Canada, and the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health. Recommendations are based on extensive research linking screen time to negative outcomes in multiple areas including physical health and nutrition, sleep issues, depression, language development, and cognitive and social skills. 

With most parents already struggling to limit their children’s screen time at home, the additional use of TV in school makes it even more difficult to follow the recommended guidelines of less than 2 hours/day of recreational screen time. As a recent Public Health Agency of Canada report states, "these evidence-based guidelines were established to help parents, clinicians, educators, and young people to achieve a lifestyle where the risks for obesity and associated chronic disease are minimized. Failure to meet these guidelines consistently is an important public health concern."

We are calling for elementary school boards, administrators and educators to establish policies to address: 

• the frequency and duration of recreational screen time in the classroom (e.g. how many minutes per day/week?)
• which TV shows are played in the classroom (e.g. a list of approved shows chosen by educators for their appropriateness and educational value)
• how parents will be informed of these decisions, so that we may follow the Canadian Paediatric Society's advice to create a "Family Media Plan, including individualized time and content limits"
• alternatives for children who prefer to socialize without the distraction of TV during nutrition breaks

Please sign this petition if you believe Ottawa parents have the right to be informed and involved in our children's recreational screen time.