14 DAY TRIAL // When the government of the United States of America becomes interested in taking over some aspects of the banks that have generated the recession, a lot of people scream “socialism.”
What will they say when they see that a Californian representative aims to restrict the amount of time that someone can spend in front of a screen? They'll probably not equate this with socialism. But if we throw in the fact that the limit applies to children who are in day care and that the screen time applies to the time spent playing videogames, most people will likely begin to applaud the initiative. Talk about double standards.
A representative who plays politics in the California state assembly has thought that, rather than solving the financial problems of the state, it would be better to legislate for children.
Julia Brownley, a Democrat hailing from Santa Monica, has introduced a bill aimed at limiting the “screen time,” which includes television and videogames, children can be exposed to when they are in child care facilities. The overall exposure to things like television, video games, and computers should, according to Bill 627, “be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and shall be limited to educational programming or programs that encourage movement.”
So, Wii Fit is OK, but there's no chance to show them Mario or some Sonic, as they don't allow for movement. It's also unclear what “educational programming” refers to. Some would put videogames like Sim City or Civilization in this category, but the Democratic representative wouldn't likely agree.
The central interference is not needed in this instance. Day care facilities are staffed with professionals and overseen by professionals who can asses how much children can spend in front of a screen, playing videogames or watching TV. The only good effect of such a law would be to enhance the public profile of representative Brownley by capitalizing on the fear of screens and videogames.