As an education reporter and a mom, I wanted to know: How much screen time is too much?

身為一位教育記錄員兼母親，我想知道：使用螢幕多久才算太久？

I talked to dozens of experts, and surveyed over 500 families, and came up with three simple rules.

我與十幾個專家談過，也調查了 500 多個家庭，最後得出三個簡單的準則。

And yes, they're inspired by food writer Michael Pollan.

(是的沒錯，這靈感來自美食作家 Michael Pollan。)

Enjoy screens, not too much, mostly together.

善用電子產品、使用時間要適量、多一點陪伴。

Rule number one, enjoy screens.

規則一：善用電子產品 。

Whether you want your kid to be great at the arts, design, business, or science, they'll need tech skills too.

無論你想讓你的孩子精通於藝術、設計、商業或科學，他們也都需要技術能力。

That means using devices as tools for creation, discovery and connection.

也就是說，要把這些設備當作創建、發現和有連結性的工具。

Children learn by playing.

孩子們在遊戲中學習。

Why not invite them to go beyond passive viewing by sending emojis to Grandma, or trying out a coding language like ScratchJr.

何不邀請他們發送表情符號給奶奶，或讓他們嘗試像 ScratchJr 的程式設計軟體，而不是只被動地看著螢幕。

Rule number two, not too much.

規則二：使用時間要適量。

Too much screen time contributes to poor sleep, obesity and the risk of negative mental, social and emotional outcomes.

花太多時間在螢幕上會導致睡眠不良、肥胖，和心理、社交、情感方面的負面影響。

Tips for cutting back include: Shut down screens well before bedtime.

減少這些負面影響的方法就是：睡前關閉螢幕。

The blue light keeps people awake.

藍光會使人們保持清醒。

Don't swipe while you eat.

吃飯時別滑手機。

That includes you, too, parents!

各位家長們，你們也是喔！

Mindless eating with a side dish of media can drive up the risk of obesity, and it crowds out family time.

盲目地吃飯配電子產品會增加肥胖的風險，也會佔據家庭時間。

Don't let screens trap your kid indoors.

別讓電子產品把你的孩子困在室內。

They need to get outside and play, every day.

孩子們每天都需要出去玩。

Rule number three, mostly together.

規則三：多一點陪伴。

It can be easy to treat a screen as a babysitter, but kids often need help understanding what they see.

把電子產品當成保姆非常容易，但是孩子們通常需要幫助來理解他們看到的東西。

Talk with your kids about what they're watching or doing online, ask them to show you the latest app or game, or put on a music video and dance together.

和你的孩子聊聊他們在網路上看什麼或做什麼、讓他們和你分享最新的應用程式或遊戲、或放個音樂一起跳舞。

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to screen time, but these three little rules should help your kids, and you, maintain a healthy balance.

雖然螢幕使用時間沒有一套標準能套用在所有人身上，但這三條小準則應該能幫助你的孩子和你保持健康的平衡。

Anya Kamenetz, NPR News, New York.

NPR 新聞的 Anya Kamenetz 於紐約報導。