Parents use all kinds of tricks to get their kids to peacefully put down devices or turn off the TV. It turns out, one of the most popular tactics – the “two-minute warning” – is also one of the least effective.
It usually goes something like this, “You have two minutes left, and then we’re really going to shut it off.” Three quarters of the parents surveyed by the University of Washington used this exact warning with their one to five year olds.
Alexis Hiniker, a PhD candidate in human-centered design and engineering says to everyone’s surprise, this common parenting tool actually made things worse. Think all-out tantrums.
“In the wild, what we saw was when parents were able to set those expectations some other way, it just was easier for the kids," said Hiniker. "So, for example, if parents said, ‘Hey, it’s almost time to stop, how much longer do you think you should keep watching?’”
So, giving kids some control and choices was better-received than laying down the two-minute law. Transitions also went better when the technology was to blame, as in when the battery dies or WiFi goes out. Which means it’s possible that a two-minute warning coming from the TV or computer could still prove helpful.
Hiniker says the message here is as much for content developers as it is for parents. Her hope is that parents will start demanding media experiences that back them up.
“So, it’s trickier with adults, where it’s harder to defend that there’s a commercial interest for making technology that is easy to put down. But I think it’s really clear that there’s a demand for that for little kids,” she said.
In the meantime, Hiniker says there are ways to turn off auto-play and pop up features that tempt kids to keep watching, but you do have dig to find them.
