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Do you know why you should limit screen time? There’s a trend gaining popularity at the moment that sees parents limiting the amount of screen time a child can have every day. But it’s also the cause of a lot of debate because not all screen time is bad.  In fact, a lot of educational games and shows require the use of the screen. So, I wanted to weigh in on the debate myself. Are screens really as bad as they say?

THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC

The biggest talking point is, of course, the obesity epidemic. Children who are seated in front of a screen tend not to move around very much.  Often they will be watching their favorite shows while enjoying their favorite snack. This will lead to weight gain which has a knock-on effect on other parts of their lives. If you’re interested in knowing more about that I’ve got an article discussing why it’s important for a child to be a healthy weight.  Please take a look at it.

NOT ENOUGH SLEEP

Kids who get a lot of screen time tend to sleep less and they have poorer quality sleep. We’ve all heard about the dreaded blue light. The light from screens can delay the release of melatonin and reset the body’s internal clock. A teen’s internal clock is already out of balance, adding in a screen makes the problem even worse.

POOR LANGUAGE SKILLS

Children who spend a lot of time in front of screens have poorer language skills, even when they’re watching educational content. They aren’t getting the opportunity to practice and use their language skills so the development of them is slowed.

There are a lot of reasons why the overuse of screens is bad for children. Others that I’ve not mentioned yet include school performance, anger issues, depression, and social isolation. But, that doesn’t mean that they’re all bad either.

EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE SCREEN TIME

Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighboorhood are excellent examples of positive screen time that have existed for decades now. They’re educational and help kids grow in all facets of life. Now with the internet, there are even more educational games and tools for kids. But, there was a study that looked at the amount of time kids spend in front of a screen to find out if more screen time was better and the study suggests that the more screen time they have the less time they’re spending on that educational content. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourage no more than one or two hours a day for kids ages 2 and up. (The national average is currently 7 hours a day.)

While there are a lot of negatives to excessive screen time I have a friend who decided that her children shouldn’t have any screen time at all. Now that her oldest is entering school he’s finding it difficult to make friends. He hasn’t seen Paw Patrol or any of the other things that kids love and so he’s lacking that ability to connect with his peers.

In the end, I think the important thing is moderation and scheduling it early in the day so it has less of an impact on your child’s ability to fall asleep. Banning it completely seems to do harm, so does letting them have as much as they want. Moderating how much time they spend in front of a screen, be it watching educational programs, cartoons, or playing games seems like the best way to manage the screen time problem.

Please leave a comment on your thoughts around this subject and please share this with a friend!

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LaToyia, The Motivated Mom

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