Living in the 21st century is challenging. Most households consist of two parents who work full time while still needing to care for a family and a household. It is during these times that turning to electronics such as the TV or tablets can be the most tempting. The allure of most children remaining still for a long time whilst watching or playing is tempting, allowing us the often much needed time to get things done. We do however, need to consider the positives and negatives of screen time and how this can affect our children’s speech and overall development.
“Screen time” is a term that is commonly used to describe the duration that individuals spend on electronics such as cellphones, computers, tablets, video-game consoles and other electronic devices. Much research has been conducted to determine how much screen time is ‘safe’ and the implications of this on a child’s development.
In an article published on www.aappublications.org, it made mention that as the number of electronics increases in homes; many children are learning how to use these devices before they are learning to talk. Research that was presented at the American Paediatric Societies Meeting found that by a child’s 18-month check-ups, 20% of the children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes. They then made use of a screening tool for language delay, which indicated that the more handheld screen time a child’s parent reported, the more likely the child was to have delays in expressive speech. They also reported that for each 30-minute increase in handheld screen time, researchers found a 49% increased risk of expressive speech delay.
Too much screen time can also influence your child’s behaviour as it can influence the following important factors:
Dr Catherine Birken also reported that in severe case of excessive screen-time, it can affect their health as they experience headaches, poor nutrition, eye-sight can be affected and can experience weight gain or weight loss.
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) therefore provided these guidelines:
Screen time can however, have benefits too. These benefits include:
A critical element in the conversation about Screen Time is the necessity of clear boundaries. These should include:
Always remember that while we may want to limit our children’s screen time, it is also important to limit our screen time. Be present and play with your children. We often miss opportunities to interact and teach our children because we are on our electronics too much. These are the crucial times where you can teach your children and provide that crucial language stimulation or develop deeper relationships with your children.
Below are some links where you can find more information:
http://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/04/PASScreenTime050417
https://joinbubble.com/for-parents/screen-time-for-kids_2508.html
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/digital-home/how-much-screen-time-for-kids-3520917/
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/21/health/screen-time-media-rules-children-aap/index.html