THERE’SNOQUESTIONTHATKIDS TODAY spend a significant portion of each day with their eyes fixed on a screen—whether they’re using a smartphone, tablet, laptop, TV, or other device. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that children are spending an average of seven hours a day in front of screens. But does all that screentime really have an adverse impact on kids’ health? Mounting research suggests that it does. Though correlation doesn’t always equal causation, strong associations have been identified between excessive screentimeandawiderangeofphysical and emotional health issues in children. One example is obesity. Not only is spending time parked in front of a screen a sedentary behavior, but it also encourages mindless eating (e.g., consuming a whole bag of potato chips or box of cookies while distracted by screen use without realizing it) and often exposes kids to a barrage of targeted ads for unhealthy foods, snacks, and beverages. All of these influences combined can easily lead to significant weight gain.
Of course, staring at a screen for multiple hours a day can lead to other physical issues such as headaches, eye fatigue, dry and irritated eyes, or difficulty shifting focus.
Decreased psychological wellbeing is another possible side-effect of excessive screentime, with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and other mood changes being noted in kids who overuse screens. The influence of social media likely plays a major role here, especially for teens, as interacting on these sites can encourage self-comparison, which can negatively impact their self-esteem and body image, or expose them to outright bullying.
Sleep tends to suffer as screentime increases as well. Not only do kids tend to push back their bedtime because they’re overstimulated by the content they’re viewing—or having too much fun chatting, playing games, or just surfing the internet—but studies have shown that the blue light these devices produce can actually suppress the hormone melatonin, which is vital to the sleep-wake cycle.
What’s more, spending more time in front of screens increases kids’ chances of encountering toxic or age-inappropriate internet content, such as pornography, violence, sites that encourage high-risk or dangerous behavior, or even sites targeted by child predators.
With so many potential health issues being associated with excessive screen use, how can parents determine how much screentime is too much for their kids? The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (source: aacap.org) offers the following age-based guidelines:
• Until 18 months of age, limit screen use to video chatting along with an adult (for example, with a parent who is out of town).
• Between 18 and 24 months, screen time should be limited to watching educational programming with a caregiver.
• For children ages two to five years, limit non-educational screen time to about one hour per weekday and three hours on the weekend days.
• For ages six and older, encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens.
Along with putting age-appropriate limits on screentime, there are additional steps parents can take to promote the safe and healthy use of screen devices. Among them:
• Consider prohibiting screen use in the bedroom, especially if your child’s sleep schedule seems to be suffering.
• Consider limiting screen use to common areas of your home, and try to supervise your child’s online activities directly.
• Know what your child is viewing, with whom he or she is communicating, and what types of games he or she is playing online.
• Establish screen-free periods during the day (e.g., dinnertime and homework time).
• Prescreen all screen media for younger children to ensure they aren’t exposed to ageinappropriate
• Familiarize yourself with—and utilize—any parental controls that allow you to limit the types of content your children can access.
• Avoid the temptation to use screens as a babysitter or distraction.
• Lead by example. When parents model appropriate screen use rather than just set rules, kids are more likely to adopt the same healthy habits.
As parents, we must accept that screen use is here to stay and will continue to be an integral part of our children’s lives. The challenge is striking the right balance between the positive and negative aspects of this technology. With a little oversight and screentime management, we can achieve that balance and raise healthy, well-adjusted kids. ✲
