I have read the studies. The science is early and tenuous.

I also remember what it was like to be a metalhead in the 80s.

This is still mostly mindless fear mongering. Sometimes it also is about parents who have had problems parenting kids that slipped into addictive behavior patterns, and blaming the thing rather than just engaging with human nature.

I have two kids, they use screens (with some reasonable limits), and they’re doing fine, but we need to be watchful and actively engaged in their screen use to ensure they know how to to put it down. Some kids needed extreme interventions, I get that. But addictive things aren’t bad things necessarily, they can be very good things in moderation. The world is a big place with more to do than screens. I don’t understand why thy extremes some rich SV families have had to implement is now some kind of “consensus”. The hell there is consensus.

The screen also offers a rich world of its own and ample opportunity for personal advancement. Children need to learn how to manage it for their own ends. Thankfully both of my kiddos seem to be able to put the screen down after a bit and go outside to play.