SCREEN TIME FOR KIDS: How much screen time is safe?
It’s not hidden from the world that how distracted children seem to be in their smartphones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, computers and TV.
Some take advantage of it but most don’t. If not taken proper steps it would harm your child in the long run.
Most teens admit about their excessive use of cellphones. Almost 72% of the teenagers admit that they are being distracted during a conversation on the phone.
It’s not only about teenagers but small children can even get addicted to the screens. Moreover, most of the developments of a child take place in the early years which is why it’s recommended to manage their screen time as well.
How much screen time is safe?
Well, we can’t keep children entirely away from these electronic gadgets but we can limit their screen time for sure. Here is some recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
● Until 18 months babies must be kept entirely away from the screens. Except for the video chatting with the relatives as that is something interactive for a child and may contribute to the development.
● Between 18 to 24 months they can enjoy some screen time but only under the supervision of their parents or caregivers.
● Now, as the child reaches the age of 2 to 3 years they must be limited to the screen time usage of 1 hour at most. Well, AAP doesn’t have any screen time guidelines for kids above the age of 3 years. This is because in this case screen time depends upon the kind of content they are consuming. Your child may consume 3 good content about programming, personality development, productivity etc. But if they are engaged in some unproductive or violent content then it becomes a matter of concern. For this case, you must monitor your child regularly and make sure that the content they’re watching contributes to their developments.
How can longer screen time harm your child?
Being in front of the screen for a longer period can harm your child in both the short and long term.
● Sitting in front of the TV and being physically inactive can lead to a lot of health issues. Obesity is one such common problem faced by teens nowadays.
● With so much violent content available on the internet nowadays may lead to the aggressive behavior of your child.
● Depression is one more health concern faced by children.
● Misleading and inaccurate information may misguide your child and there are so many ads targeting your child.
● Stereotypical contents, sexual contents and stunt videos may misguide your child.
● With the contents being easily available on the internet children do not care about reading books at all.
● Watching TV’s, web series and some irrelevant videos may disturb their sleep hours as well.
Screen time guidelines:
It is difficult to manage your child’s screen time but the following guidelines would help you ace this:
● So the first tip which I think is utmost important is that you should monitor your screen time firstly. Most often we get busy in special 4 media or some cliché serials. So before you turn to your child it’s really important to monitor yourself.
● Do not allow your child to keep smartphones along with them during bedtime because it’s a high probability for them to get distracted easily. And also make sure to check them from time to time when they are using it.
● Turn off all electronic gadgets including TV, cellphones while having your meals. And do make sure that the time spent together with your family is interactive.
● Do educate your children about all the irrelevant contents available on the internet. They should also be aware of their safety and privacy. Teach them about cyberbullying, hacking and a lot more crime happening on the internet. ● Decide only one program to be watched. Turn off the TV immediately after it is over.
● Play some tactics with your family. Like if you are on a holiday, challenge them to be away from cellphones for a week and if they can complete the challenge do award them.
● Research about games and apps before allowing your child to get into it. If you find some fault in it then straight away reject that.
● Schedule plenty of non-screen time with your young kids. This could not only keep your child away from the screen but would also help you to interact with your child.
