This is a question that is always being asked from a variety of people including parents, teachers, psychologists and schools. I am sure we are all guilty of worrying when we are babysitting or with our own children …. Ugh … I just need 30 mins to myself, I will just put on a movie or give them an iPad for some peace and quiet. This is all well and good, but what effects is it actually having? The irritating thing is that there are so many different ideas and theories out there as to what time-frame children should be spending on devices or technology. According to a survey done by Techadvisor (2016), 35% of parents said they use tech gadgets to entertain their children because they are convenient and 23% because they want their children to be tech-savvy. It is understandable that in today’s society we want our children to be tech-savvy as our world is rapidly turning into one run by gadgets, but we do have to be mindful of the effects and risks associated with children having too much screen time. Dr Aric Sigman (2016) makes the point that he is less worried by educational television programs and mobile apps but still recommends strictly limiting all screen time for children as it is estimated that by the age of 10, children have access to an average of five screens in their lives. Already by the age of seven, the average child will have spent a full year of 24 hour days watching recreational screen media and furthermore over the course of childhood, children spent more time watching TV than they spend in school – eeeeek! So what exactly are the implications of ‘too much screen time’ and what should we do about it? Affect on Academic Grades In 2015, Cambridge University researchers recorded the activities of more than 800 14 year olds and analysed their GCSE results over 2 years. It was discovered that students who admitted to spending an extra 1 hour of screen time a day, even if they studied more, their results fell by 2 grades by the time they were 16 years old. Further digging revealed that the students mentioned they spent 4 hours of their leisure time every day watching TV or in front of a computer or iPad. Establish Screen time rules It was really interesting for me to research what happens around the world in regards to screen time and their differing opinions. For example, in 2013, the US Department of Health recommended that children under two years of age should not be in front of a screen at all, and over that age the maximum leisure screen time should be no more than two hours a day. South Africa is in agreement with this, as Senior (2016) claims that too much screen time can lead to ‘reduced cognitive abilities, poor problem-solving skills, limited lateral thinking, lack of imagination and concentration issues’ In France, TV aimed at all children under three has been banned, while Australia and Canada have similar recommendations and guidelines (Jary, 2016). There are very strict regulations in Asian countries with Taiwanese parents now legally obligated to monitor their children’s screen time and if they don’t, they are issued fines. Many countries have their own guidelines, but one thing is clear, they are based around limiting screen time to at least 2 hours and many also recommend ‘Tv-free days’. What was really interesting to read was that Steve Jobs did not allow his children to play with iPads at all. Even though he was a bit of an extremist at times, it shows that it shouldn’t matter who you are, limiting screen time and establishing rules should be at the front of every parent’s mind. Steiner-Adair (2014) found that babies showed signs of distress when they looked to a parent for a reassuring connection and discovered the parent is distracted by technology. Her research found that 70% of kids think their parents spend too much time on devices, and accuse their parents of double standards – are you guilty of this?! I think I am … Dangers of too much screen time early in life One of the biggest studies was carried out by Harvard psychologists who studied a variety of babies and children over a period of 3 years in relation to early exposure to technology. They found that because a baby’s brain is hardwired to learn language, emotions and how to regulate them, there is no productive role technology can play in the life of a baby under two years. A member of the Harvard team, Catherine Steiner, further commented that ‘like other addictions screen time creates significant changes in brain chemistry – most notably, in the release of dopamine. This neurotransmitter – also known as the pleasure chemical – is central to addictions from sugar to cocaine and therefore, if produced every day for many years, may change the reward circuitry in a child’s brain and make them more dependent on screen media’. It seems that many neuroscientists are extremely concerned about the chemical effects that technology is having on the brain. So in conclusion – what do we do? After reading a huge amount of different opinions and articles from a variety of experts, it seems there is a general consensus of what should be happening. Generally, the answer to how much screen time is : not much and with children under two : none. Most experts suggest that babies and toddlers should be kept away from all screens – sorry teletubbies! Children aged 2-5 should have no more than an hour a day and from 5-18 years should be no more than 2. In saying this, homework should be discounted because it is educational, these guidelines are more about leisure time on devices. I think, the biggest ‘no no’ that everyone agrees on is screen time right before bed. This is because exciting games stimulate the brain and causes not only excitement and alertness but an exposure to the ‘blue light’ that is found in all screen that wakens the brain up rather than putting it to sleep. Before bed, children should be reading or relaxing and listening to CDs or tapes. To be honest, I personally think that the best thing to do is be a good role model for children. If we are always on our phones, watching TV or playing on the iPad this does not work well when we then go and try to tell children the dangers of too much screen time and to get off their devices. Obviously technology is not bad, we use it in the classroom all the time and there are thousands of benefits, however this blog entry is not about the benefits, but highlighting the ideas behind certain screen time restraints. So let’s put the screens down for a couple of hours, go outside and learn to be bored which will lead to creative minds! Build a tree house … play in the garden .. socialise and not let CBeebies put our children to sleep every night. References Jary, S. (2016). How much screen time is healthy for children? Senior, L. (2016). Pros and Cons of technology for children. Sigman, A. (2014). Virtually Addicted: Why general practice must now confront screen dependency. British Journal of General Practice, 64, 610-611. doi: 10.3399/bjgp14X682597 Steiner - Adair, C. (2016). The Big Disconnect. Techadvisor. (2016). Expert Teams on Screen safety, education, mental development and sleep.
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Miss Megan Elizabeth
Australian living in Johannesburg, Primary School Teacher, IT Teacher, World traveller Header Image Used with permission from: Flickr. Creative Commons Quick Links Home About Me Blog Roll Digital Curation Feedback Reflection Blogs Dystopian Literature Banning Books Pokemon iPads Shakespeare Minecraft |