Screen Time and Children: Its effect on children, How to monitor your child's screen time

The world is now technology driven and the younger generation is adapting faster to it. All our work is now happening over the internet. We rely on Google for all small things as it is easier and faster. But is this screen time limited to adults only? Are children away from excess screen exposure? Can increased screen time have adverse effects on children? Well, of course..!! We have all considered television, and smartphones as a medium to get rid of the tantrums and pranks of our children. This has increased more because we as parents do not have enough time to spend with our kids. And the peak was reached during COVID when the kids could not step outside. Thus, we want them to eat their food easily so we switch on the television for them. Or we don’t have time to play with them so instead, we give them our smartphones to play with. But is this the right approach? Are we indirectly affecting their physical and mental development? This has been the question of most parents in today’s time. So in this article, let us discuss screen time and children, recommended screen time for children, the effect of screen time on children, and ways to monitor screen time.

What is the recommended screen time for children?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a child needs to sit less and play more to be healthy. There are screen time guidelines set by the World Health Organization for children at different ages to ensure their proper growth and development.

For infants with less than 1-year-old

• Infants less than 1 year of age must remain active throughout the day in several ways, especially interactive floor-based activities.
• Infants less than 1 year of age should remain in the prone position for at least 30 minutes a day while they are awake. The prone position is also normally known as the tummy time.
• Infants less than 1 year of age should not be restrained to prams, high chairs, strollers, or strapped at your back for more than one hour at a single time. 
• Screen time is not at all recommended for infants below 1 year of age.
• Try engaging the infants by reading them a story.
• The recommended sleeping time for infants of the 0-3 month age group is 14-17 hours while for the 4-11 month age group, the recommended time is 12-16 hours.

Today’s generation has made their life so busy by managing both work and home simultaneously. This has made the upbringing of children challenging for modern parents. Here television, computer, smartphones, and video games come to the rescue of every parent. If you are shocked to know that your child has an excessive screen time limit than what is recommended, don’t worry you are not the only one. Making some rules in your family and following them religiously can help you get things back on track.

For children between 1-2 years of age

• Children between 1-2 years must devote at least 180 minutes to physical activities. More the physical activity, the better it is.
• Children in this age group should not sit in a fixed position for long hours like high chairs, strollers, prams, or your back.
• Children in this age group are not recommended to be exposed to screens. However, 2-year-old kids can have a recommended screen time of around 1 hour. The lesser the screen time, the better it is.
• During sedentary hours, engage your child in storytelling and reading.
• Children should have good quality sleep for 11-14 hours. Also, the sleep timings should be fixed to maintain discipline.

For children 3-4 years of age

• Children in this age group should be active. They must have at least 180 minutes of physical exercise including an hour of moderate to vigorous physical exercise.
• Children at 3-4 years of age must not sit in a position for long hours.
• Engage your child in reading books and storytelling during sedentary hours which should not extend for more than an hour. 
• Children must have regular good quality sleep for 10-13 hours.

What is the effect of too much screen time on children?

Screen time on children affects both their physical and mental health adversely. Excessive screen time does not affect only their health but cognitive functioning as well. The following are the most common and severe effects of excessive screen time on children. 

Irregular sleep

It is observed that the increased time spent on a screen, the more troublesome it is for the child to fall asleep on time. Increased screen time not only hampers the sleep schedule and makes it irregular but can also deteriorate the quality of sleep giving your child interrupted sleep. Sleep loss further makes way for fatigue and increased snaking that causes obesity and its related disorders.

Obesity

It is noticed that increased screen time has adverse effects on your child’s body weight. The risk of obesity increases in children who have increased screen time. This is because of the lack of activity during the day and the advanced habit of snacking. Children not only develop an appetite for junk food but their portion size also increases when they eat while watching TV. 

Impaired academic performance

The students with increased screen time tend to have lower focus or attention in academics. Moreover, if children have television and other electronic gadgets in their room at their studying age, they tend to perform low on their tests and other academically unacceptable behavioral problems

If children in their growing stage spend more time on video games, smartphones, computers, and television, they are more likely to face attention, social, and emotional problems. Children who are addicted to video games have increased irritation, mood swings, and attention-related issues as well.

Violence

Social media has a lot of content that is not good for children. Getting exposed to violence through the media, games, videos, etc., desensitizes children from violence. Thus, such children start considering violence as normal, thereby, not only accepting behavior but also adapting it to their per behavior as well.

How to limit screen time for kids?

Screen time should be limited for the kids. This will ensure that the kids spend less time on computers, televisions, and video games, and spend more time being physically active. This will also give them time and energy to concentrate on their academics. Talk to your child about the hazards of too much screen time. Set screen time for them and also tell them why you are doing it so that they know the reason and do not take it in ill will. Certain tips that can help you monitor and limit screen time are:

• Set screen time parental control so that you have control over how long your kids are watching the screen time.
• Set parental control on necessary apps so that you can monitor and control the content that your kids are viewing. This will help you keep your child away from desensitizing content.
• Do not take all the control, if your child is older then talk to them so that they set their boundaries for healthy screen time on their own. It is easy to follow rules that are made by your own will rather than when they become compulsory.
• Ensure that the screen time is at least half an hour to one hour before bedtime.
• Do not encourage electric devices including the television to be turned on during dinner time or family activities. This is a common Indian family habit to have the television turned on while having dinner, this adds to the screen time of the kids.
• Always make it mandatory to have all the homework and other activities finished before sitting in front of the television.
• Tell your kids the importance of reduced screen time on their physical, emotional, and mental health.
• Always praise them when they follow your rules religiously. This will give them a boost to follow in the future as well.
• Also, ensure that you and the house help and caregivers that are around the child also follow the same guidelines to create a healthy atmosphere at home.

Takeaway

Electronic gadgets, television, and smartphones have engrossed the world. You can’t live even for a day without your smartphone, it is that essential. Thanks to the variety of work that it actually solves for you. Apart from making our life easier, it has also increased our screen time, and the same we have now transferred to the next generation. The coming generation is more tech-savvy than us. We might not know certain features of our smartphones, but they surely know. But this is not a thing to boast about. If you have a kid at home, make sure that you limit their screen time. Now that you know how screen time can adversely affect the health of your child, make sure that you include the tips suggested above to reduce their screen time and bring it within the range recommended by the World Health Organization.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the recommended screen time for children above 6 years of age?

For children above 6 years of age, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that you encourage your child to give more time to activities rather than screen time.

2. Should parents monitor their child’s screen time?

Definitely, as a parent, you must monitor your child’s screen time as it helps them become better socially, academically, and physically.

3. What educational resources can I use to make screen time more educational for my child?

There are several ways by which you can make screen time more productive for your child. Encourage your child to watch videos on youtube channels that post educational stuff like SciShow Kids, Khan Academy, Smithsonian, Field Museum, PBS Kids Online, CODE, and Stencyl.