Children and Screen Time | How much Screen Time is good?

Have you ever heard the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge?

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

I have come up with a new version of it.

Screens, screens, everywhere,

Nor a moment to think.

According to Statista, the total number of smartphone users has surpassed three billion. So, I was not wrong when I said screens, screens, everywhere.

And technology is evolving day by day; we cannot refrain from using it. So, what about children? We see young children using smartphones, tablets, computers, and watching TV. They spend an immense amount of time watching screens.

But the question that arises here is this:

Is technology contributing to Children’s mental development? And if yes! Then how much screen usage is right for our children?

What the American Academy of Pediatrics says about “Screen Time”?

American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) issued “Screen Time” guidelines in 1999. They updated them in 2016. In these guidelines, they stated:

• Restrain kids to 0 screen time under 18 months.

Kids under two years learn through interactions. They also begin to speak two to three words. And whatever they learned at this age contributes to their personality development. So no screens except video chats with their loved ones.

• High-quality content is Ok above 18 months under the parent’s supervision.
• Limit screen time to 1 hour (per day) for kids aged between 2 to 5 years.
• Children above the age of 5 years must be indulged in creating media plans.
• Parents should enforce uniform rules for the kids above five years.

Have you noticed that there are no fixed screen usage rules for children above five years? Do you know why it is so?

Every child has a different way of adapting to certain things. One thing that can work for one child may not be suitable for the other. So it should be the parent’s responsibility to keep track of their kids activities. And what is more beneficial for their better development.

How does screen time affect Children?

Photo by McKaela Taylor on Unsplash

In today’s world, most parents captivate their child’s attention by giving them screens. A survey conducted in the UK says, 63% of the people said that screens are useful distractions. They captivate their children with screens when they are busy.

But did they know what kind of impact screens have on their kids?

1. Zero participation in physical activities.
2. No physical activities will lead them to Obesity.
3. Blue light emerging from gadgets affects their eye-sight.
4. It narrows their imagination, creativity, and sense of exploring new ideas.
5. Screens also inhibit their social skills.
6. Screens further repress their concentration and focus.
7. Sleeping problems will also occur.
8. They will more prone to aggression.

And the list will go so far. But despite all these effects, we cannot keep our children away from the changing world. So to somehow, we have to keep them in touch with the technology.

Here is a guideline for parents to keep their children in useful screen activities.

Good Screen Time And Bad Screen Time…?

Good screen time means watching quality content. It will help children in learning and growing.

And wrong screen time means watching useless content. It will have a destructive impact on kids.

What if your child is spending only one hour on-screen, but he watches inappropriate content. Is it fine? Off-course No!

It means it is not about time. It is about the quality content that means Good Screen Time.

There is a lot of content on the Internet that is very valuable and beneficial for children. We can keep our kids engage with that type of content.

1. Parents should develop a media plan and put rules about how and where screens should and should not be used.
2. Parents should engage themselves with their kids.
3. Be an exemplary parent with good screen habits.
4. No screens during meals.
5. Turn off the screens at least one hour before going to sleep.
6. Develop the habit of reading with your kids.
7. Use parental control apps to keep track of your kid’s screen activities.
8. Use the apps before allowing your children to use them.

Conclusion:

Technology is rapidly evolving these days. So, we cannot prevent our

Kids from using it. Yet, little but positive use of it is never harmful.

Managing Screen time usage not only for kids but also for adolescents will be beneficial.