What parent hasn’t been there? It’s been a long day, you still have dinner to make, maybe lunches for tomorrow too, and you just don’t have the energy to wrangle your kids into a new art project or plead with them to pick up a book.

Instead, you give in when they beg for more iPad time. Or maybe they promise they’ll do their homework after just a few more YouTube videos, and it’s easier to agree than have another argument. Now you’re not only exhausted, you feel like a bad parent too.

If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. Concern over how – and how much – their children are using media is a common source of parental guilt, which makes sense given the reputation of screen use as a frivolous waste of time, with no intrinsic value. So even if people are on their screens for a great reason – to relax, for example, or otherwise manage their moods – they are inclined to feel guilty about it. And this guilt undermines any stress-reducing benefit they might have otherwise enjoyed.

But as unpleasant as this guilt is, the good news is that those feelings, if you listen to them, can help encourage healthier choices for you and your kids.

Parental guilt over child screen use

Studies, including from my own media research group, have found that screen media use is among the most common tools that people of all ages use to decompress, relax and enjoy themselves.

But parents worry about their kids’ screen use and for good reason. Without adequate management, screen time can too easily get out of hand, raising concerns about negative outcomes, such as compromised sleep, increased obesity risk, reduced academic performance and mental health challenges.

So here’s the dilemma. Well-meaning parents set various rules to protect their children from the harms associated with too much screen time. But research shows that most parents break those rules. If a child is sick, why not let them play several hours of video games? Maybe you plop your child in front of the TV to keep them busy while you sort laundry or hop on a work call.

So what happens when you break your own rules – especially when those rules are in place to protect your children? You’re primed to feel guilt, and because guilt is its own form of stress, this dynamic sets up tension that can be unhealthy for both parents and kids.

The downside of parental screen guilt

The COVID-19 pandemic, when media use of all sorts increased among all demographics in the U.S. and internationally, gave my research team a unique opportunity to study the guilt that parents feel over their children’s screen use.

Our research considered how the sudden and substantial increase in screen use at the onset of the pandemic affected how parents felt about their relationships with their children. We surveyed parents in March 2020 and another group of parents in both April and May of 2020. We asked about their child’s amount of screen time, their feelings of guilt about their child’s screen use, the stress they felt about it and how satisfied they were with their relationship with their child.

We found that 73% of parents experienced at least some guilt, and 48% felt moderate to intense guilt over their child’s use of screens. So, parental screen guilt was quite common.

We also found that parents who felt more guilt about their child’s screen use also experienced greater stress about that screen use, and that greater stress was linked to feeling less satisfied with their relationship with their child. Importantly, parents’ initial screen guilt in April predicted higher stress about screen use in May, but initial screen stress in April did not predict screen guilt in May. What does this mean? Screen guilt was, in fact, increasing stress, and not the other way around.

What about the amount of time kids spent on screens? Is that the reason why parents felt guilty and stressed? It turns out: not really. In our research, we found little to no relationship between how long children used screens and parents’ screen guilt, screen stress or relationship satisfaction. In other words, it was the feelings of guilt over children’s use of screens, regardless of the amount of use itself, that was problematic for the parents and, by extension, their children.

Turning guilt lemons into lemonade

So, what can a parent do? Rather than berating yourself over perceived mistakes or misjudgments regarding media choices, it would be far more productive to find the value and deeper lessons in your screen guilt.

People feel guilt when they see their actions conflict with their internalized belief systems or standards of behavior. And as uncomfortable as guilty feelings may be, that guilt can be useful in helping you repair any harms you think you may have caused, particularly within relationships.

In other words, screen guilt can be useful information, nudging you to reflect on and adjust your own rules or choices. Was there a good reason to relax your usual limits on screen use, like when trying to comfort your child when they are sick? On the other hand, is your child suffering negative consequences, for example, not completing homework or getting exercise, because of leniency with screens? Or do you simply feel like a bad parent because you’ve internalized the belief that good parents don’t let their children use screens?

Such reflection can be an opportunity to consider not only how your family is using screens but, importantly, what guardrails you might need to put in place, or adjust, to support family wellness.

Although you might not hear this sentiment often, not all screen media use is bad. There is, in fact, evidence that screen use and content can contribute to a range of wonderful outcomes, including learning, social connection, inspiration and, yes, relaxation and stress relief.

Although guilt may not be pleasant, if you take a moment to understand why you feel it, it can help guide you in creating not only a more balanced diet of media and real-world experiences for you and your family, but also more satisfying relationships with your kids.

Robin Nabi, Professor of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Nearly 1 in 5 people in the world lives in poverty. Even in many developed countries such as the U.S., poverty rates exceed 12%. In an age of breathtaking technological progress and dynamic social change, poverty remains stubbornly persistent.

As a professor of entrepreneurship, I’m interested in a critical question: Can people in poverty create their own path to prosperity? In other words, is venture creation a viable poverty alleviation tool?

My work has shown that it can be – with the right kind of support. However, that support is often lacking.

A big part of the problem is ignorance: Most people simply don’t know much about poverty and entrepreneurship. There are plenty of myths when it comes to the ventures of the poor, due in part to the lack of hard data about the businesses of those in poverty.

These misconceptions have influenced public policy officials, economic development professionals and academics. As a result, they tend to undervalue the important economic and social role that these businesses play.

In an attempt to correct the record, here are six facts that people should know about poverty and entrepreneurship.

Fact 1: Poor people start businesses – lots of them

It’s a myth that entrepreneurship is just for the rich. In fact, many ventures across the globe are started by people in disadvantaged circumstances – actually most of them. While hard data is difficult to come by, the evidence we do have is suggestive. For example, in some high-poverty sub-Saharan African countries, as many as two out of three adults operate or are in the process of starting their own business.

Such small businesses are arguably the backbone of many developing economies, where over 50% of the population can be in poverty. Even within developed economies, such ventures can be responsible for a meaningful component of gross domestic product.

Fact 2: Businesses run by poor people create value

Although people in poverty disproportionately create “survival businesses” that generate small profits, it’s wrong to assume that makes these ventures less valuable. Such businesses provide jobs to millions of impoverished people, representing an economic lifeline. They create value in the marketplace, filling niches that aren’t attractive to incumbent firms.

And they create more than just economic value: These businesses are embedded in the fabric of communities, providing a source of social stability. They pay taxes and can produce spillover benefits such as reduced crime, increased school completion rates and community pride.

Fact 3: Entrepreneurship can help alleviate poverty

A growing body of research suggests that higher levels of entrepreneurship are associated with greater reductions in poverty. For example, one analysis found that areas with the highest rates of entrepreneurship among the poor demonstrated the largest reductions in poverty over a six-year period.

This shouldn’t come as a major surprise. After all, while people in poverty often create survival businesses that generate small profits, venture creation represents a critical vehicle for human capital development. People who start businesses learn how to organize production, manage cash, serve customers, set prices and coordinate logistics.

What’s more, the entrepreneurial experience can enable self-sufficiency, identity development, a sense of pride and purpose, and the ability to give back.

Fact 4: Off-the-books businesses have value for society

Poor entrepreneurs often start what economists call “informal” businesses – enterprises that aren’t registered with the government and that operate under the radar. These often attract criticism.

But while off-the-books businesses may not be legal, the informal sector represents 50% or more of the economy in many developing countries, and as much as 20% in some developed nations. It represents a vast incubator that sustains the poor as they experiment with businesses and learn. In my opinion, this hidden enterprise culture should be nurtured.

Fact 5: The biggest challenge isn’t always lack of money

People often assume that the key to helping ventures of the poor is to provide more capital. But despite a clear need for funding, some entrepreneurs may not be ready to make effective use of additional money. Regardless of how motivated or hard-working they are, the core issue for entrepreneurs is the ability to convert means into ends.

When an entrepreneur lacks key capabilities, such as bookkeeping, selling or inventory management, research suggests that to be effective, funding should be coupled with other forms of support. An investment is likely to be more productive when it is tied to participation in training and mentoring programs. Access to incubators, attendance at networking events and related developmental activities also are important.

Fact 6: There’s more than one way to succeed

People in the world of entrepreneurship love a big success story. It’s all about picking winners. That kind of thinking works against poor entrepreneurs, who generally start basic businesses that don’t employ novel technologies, and who often have severely limited resources.

To realize the potential of entrepreneurship, it’s worth rethinking the definition of success. For the poor, success could be getting the business established and making sales, earning a profit. It could be changing the entrepreneur’s economic circumstances, hiring employees – particularly others in poverty – or adding another location.

It could be keeping the business going some number of years, providing a kind of legacy. Other success indicators can include reducing the dependency on one’s own labor, satisfying customers and the ability to give back to the community.

In the end, success is about having a better life. And research is demonstrating how entrepreneurship can make this possible.

Venture creation is not a silver bullet. Poverty is complex, and building a sustainable business is difficult. Realizing the promise of entrepreneurship requires that we get past these myths and develop the kinds of supportive environments that level the playing field.

Michael H. Morris, Professor of the Practice, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.