Too much screentime
In this hyper digital world, kids need help to limit their use of screens. Those same devices also give parents a much-needed break. With the competing pressures, it makes sense to take a step back and explore your options to understand what you really want.
Complex problems are often vague and have many possible solutions. The Meta-Problem Method may lead you far away from the dilemma that started your quest. That’s because the method forces you to clarify what you really want and what you are willing to give up. It enables you to compare objectively the possible pathways and their trade offs. It prevents you locking into solutions mode too early and then doubling down on solving a low-yield problem that does not serve your goals as well as the alternatives. At the end of this process, you will have a better understanding of your priorities and how to achieve them.
Steps in the Meta-Problem Method
Dilemma
The high-level issue you are trying to address
Balanced screentime.
Goal
The changes you want to make to address the dilemma. There are usually many options.
Supporting goals
- Limited screentime for kids.
- Increased time spent learning and growing.
Other goals could include specific kinds of healthy activities like exercise, or the kinds of screentime kids engage in, as well as more quality time as a family, or breaks for parents.
Problem Space
The set of problems you could chose to solve to advance your goals, plus the constraints that hold you back.
Example problems
- How could we limit the amount of screentime kids get? Maybe the problem to solve is “What tools exist to limit screens?”
- How could we increase the amount of time spent on non-screen activities? Maybe the problem to solve is “How can we get kids to play outside more?”
There are many other potential problems to solve related to managing screentime in a digital age. Each goal has many possible problems we could link to it. Are there other problems linked to these first two goals? Which options come to mind for the other goals?
High-Yield Problems
Sometimes solving one problem helps make progress towards several goals. In this step, we identify these “two-for-the-price-of-one” problems.
Which options will advance more than one goal?
- Set limits on devices so they turn off after a certain amount of time. This will limit screentime and may increase the amount of time kids spend on other activities. However, it can be hard to coordinate across devices and often results in more stress for parents as kids ask for more screentime.
- Implement a reward-based system where kids earn screentime by spending time learning and growing. This will both limit screentime and increases time spent on positive activities. However, it requires more active parent management and will not work for all children.
There are many potential solutions that will have varying effects on the set of goals. Which alternatives improve the most important goals? How might the unknown change the right path forward? What other possible solutions are there to address the dilemma?
Problem Selection
Which of the many possible options in the high-yield problem step is the best set to address the dilemma?
- Which solutions make the most sense as a parent?
- Which solutions will best address the dilemma?
- Which solutions will deliver the best outcome for the least amount of time, effort and money?
Implement, Learn and Adapt
Check continuously that you are still solving the best problem, as new information emerges.
Observe and learn as you go. As new information reveals itself, check continuously that you’re still solving the right problem.