From Consumption to Creation

Children, Screens, and Legislation Under Debate

Abstract

Nowadays, the massive use of screens by children and adolescents—starting at increasingly younger ages—permeates their daily lives, with impacts on socialization, learning, and overall health, as well as associated risks such as exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, or difficulties in self-regulating screen time. Recent reports show that, although technologies offer educational and inclusion opportunities, they also generate distractions in the classroom and deepen inequalities. In this context, how can we build digital environments that are fairer, safer, more critical, and more responsible through public policies? What characteristics should legislative strategies adopt in order to contribute to these processes? In this article, we propose reflecting on two bills promoted in the Province of Buenos Aires that seek to regulate and encourage the responsible use of screens during childhood and adolescence.