Up First from NPR Where Kids Play
90 snips
Dec 21, 2025 
Eli Stark-Elster, a UC Davis researcher focused on childhood autonomy, joins host Ayesha Rascoe to discuss kids' holiday screen time. They explore how urbanization has limited children's unsupervised play, highlighting the historical norms of autonomy. Eli argues that digital spaces provide a new frontier for peer cultures but warns about the risks of commercialization in games like Roblox. He stresses the importance of balancing safety with opportunities for independence, as autonomy is crucial for child well-being. Quality of screen time matters!
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Historic Drop In Children's Autonomy
- Across human history, children largely enjoyed high independence and peer-led play.
- That autonomy dropped sharply around the early 1970s and remains low today.
Urban Design Corroded Free Play
- Urbanization and car dependence reduced safe independent mobility for kids and raised parental fear.
- Physical distance between children means parents must drive kids to meet, shrinking spontaneous peer play.
Digital Space Became The Last Frontier
- Kids gravitate to digital spaces as a new frontier for unsupervised peer culture.
- Digital environments give children the independence they can no longer get in physical spaces.