In one frame, a mom who cut her kids off from video games and other electronics for six months. In the right frame, a game designer who says kids benefit from up to three hours of gaming a day.
In the middle: a Fox News host who limits her kids to 30 minutes of gaming a day.
Somehow this debate aired on Fox News today without any yelling. The guests were even respectful of each other.
For the record, the mom on the left is Susan Maushart, author of the book The Winter of our Disconnect. She says her kids were more social, more creative and even slept better thanks to their tech sabbatical. On the right is Jane McGonigal, a designer of alternate reality games and author of Reality is Broken. Her take was that kids playing up to three hours a day learn positive, modern skills for problem-solving and communication.
The host was pushing for 30 minutes of gaming for kids a day, but I think McGonigal pushed back on that effectively. What's the right amount of time?
Watch the debate at Fox's site.
Life Online or Unplugged? Technology's Impact on Kids [Fox News]