Even though some screen time can be informative, too much exposure to screens can have adverse side effects on your child.
According to recent research from the University of California, Los Angeles, children are spending more time than ever in front of screens, which may be affecting their capacity to perceive emotions. Sixth-graders that went five days without the use of technology were substantially better at reading human emotion readers than students who had daily access to phones, television sets, and technology, according to research published in the journal named Computers in Human Behaviour.
Educators, This Is a Call to Action
According to Greenfield, there is a significant lesson for schools.
A lot of school systems are racing to put iPads in the hands of students individually and they’ve not considered the social cost. A wake-up call should be given to schools. They must ensure that their students have adequate face-to-face social engagement. This could imply less time spent in front of the screen.
Is there such a thing as too much screen time?
For decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that youngsters should limit their screen usage. The current recommendation from the group is that children aged 3 to 18 should have no more than two hours of entertainment “screen time” every day. And there are none at all for children under the age of two. Children under the age of five spent nearly two hours each day in front of a screen, according to the San Francisco charity Common Sense Media, which tracks screen usage from birth.
Recommendations for screen time by age
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18 months and Younger Use screens for Video Chatting only |
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18 to 24 months old High quality programming must be chosen. Parents should sit down and co-watch with their children |
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2 to 5 years Limit screentime to 1 hour per day. Parents should engage with children, help them understand what they are seeing, and apply it to the world around them. |
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6 to 12 years Constant monitoring and placing limits on the time spent on media is important. Children should be more active physically and screentime should not take the place of physical activities. |
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12 years and older It is important to spend media free time while sitting for dinner or reading books together. Also, bedrooms should not have any media items. |
Your child’s total screen time may be higher than you think. Start keeping an eye on it, and talk to your youngster about how important it is to sit less and move more. Also, go over the rules for screen time and the repercussions of breaching them.
Here are some easy ways to cut down on screen time:
Turn off the TV in the background
Even if it’s just in the background, the TV is likely to attract your child’s attention if it’s turned on. Turn off the television if you aren’t viewing it.
TVs, smartphones, and computers should not be used in the bedroom
Children who have technology in their bedrooms are more likely to watch them than children who have not. Keep TVs and computers in a common location in your homes to keep an eye on your child’s screen time and the web pages he or she visits.
Avoid eating in front of a television
Allowing your child to eat a snack in front of a screen increases the amount of time he or she spends in front of a screen. Mindless snacking is also encouraged by the practice, which can contribute to weight gain.
Conclusion
Starting to limit your child’s screen time can be difficult. It is, nonetheless, worthwhile to put forth the effort. You may reduce screen time and its negative consequences by establishing new family rules and gradually altering your child’s routine. Families should urge their children to have a “healthy media diet.” Parents and children should collaborate to choose how much time they should spend with media each day and to ensure that good media choices are made.