Oh, I don't know-- I think you articulated it VERY well.
I've often had the same internal debate, since having a child who is more-or-less home-based all the time means that electronic media are her "window" onto the world at large, but we also feel that limiting that electronic diet is important given that she seems to have some potential to abuse it.
As far as I have been able to tell from research on the subject;
a) studies don't really adequately differentiate ACTIVE activities versus passive ones in evaluations of screen time, particularly with children under 10, and
b) it's not clear at all that such studies may be properly applied to HG+ persons as a population.
In other words, I don't know that there
are good guidelines for this-- other than just the parent gut-check. I tend to feel that it's so highly individual that any really good guidance would not be generally very useful. It might be that HG+ children should have 0 to 6 continuous hours of screen time daily, but with the caveat that it needs to be active, (meaning that the programming REQUIRES something from the viewer), and that it should not interfere with other interests or take the place of previously enjoyable off-line activities.
Vague, right? But I think that is probably the truth. Different kids need different things. HG+ kids probably have an even wider distribution.
We allow SOME types of screen time much more than others. We have no need to limit television at all-- it's just not DD's thing. We also don't need to restrict FB, e-mail, or arcade-style gaming. Again, not addictive for her. What we
have had to struggle against is RP-style gaming, in all of its many guises. Webkinz and Pokemon were a NIGHTMARE to regulate. So much so that we finally just put a moratorium on both things, because they were like
crack. I've reluctantly said "no" to Minecraft preemptively on that basis, actually.
After discussing it, DD had to admit that it was probably the right decision-- because after about 6th grade, and DEFINITELY with a virtual school, you
have to allow internet access to allow them to do what they need to do educationally... and good luck policing it with a PG child. (UGH)
On the other hand, we do NOT limit educational gaming/activities, and haven't since DD was about five. If she wanted to play Reader Rabbit for a couple of hours, so be it-- and sometimes she did. If she wants to work on HTML code for an entire Saturday, only coming up for air to do chores and household basics, again, so be it. We draw the line there when we see a shift in her
attitude. She cops a 'tude, and she gets electronics restrictions. Like a time-out, but for big kids.
