Since the images change rapidly so does the shift of the child's attention. Contrast this externalized control of attention with the internal control required while participating in a self-directed play activity. The child, not a scriptwriter or producer, determines how long he or she will attend to individual tasks. When youngsters are in self-directed activities such as playing or doing homework, they are talking to themselves, making choices, and directing their own attention. Metacognitive abilities are blossoming along with mindfulness.
Children continually stop what they are doing and look at the screen.
A constant stream of interruptions disengages the child's inner speech during the self-directed experience. Concentration and sustained attention become more and more fragmented, eventually disappearing. Internal control of the attention span diminishes as the child becomes a spectator. When this happens for hours every day throughout childhood, the likely outcome is a rambunctious brain. What We Can Do Children under the age of 12 need much more time doing than viewing.