Screen Time for Children – The inevitable friend or foe

Screen Time for Children – The inevitable friend or foe

The usage of screens, including television, internet, smartphones, tablets and computers in this modern era is like a double-edged sword for children. On one hand it brings numerous benefits to children. On the other hand, it most certainly produces undesirable effects.

In the UK, in a typical day, children spend an average of 2.5 hours on any screen, 3 hours on their phones and 2 hours on television. It is inevitable that children now grow up immersed in digital media. A cross sectional study by Dato Amar Singh in 2018 — sampling a total of 382 parents in a Hypermarket in Ipoh, Perak — has concluded that these children spend an average of 5.9 hours per day viewing the screen; with Television being the most viewed screen followed by tablets. Amongst these children, 63.6% used more than a single device at a time and 47.4% of these children are not accompanied by parents nor are they supervised at the time of usage.

How Much Screen Time is ‘Okay’?

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have produced guidelines on managing the appropriate screen time for children. WHO focuses on three main domains namely Sit Less, Move More and Sleep Well.

Dear parents, NO screen time is suggested for toddlers below the age of 2 years. Children below 2 years old have immature symbolic, memory and attentional skills causing difficulty to transfer the knowledge learned virtually onto our real life 3-dimensional world.

Children aged 2 to 5 years old can be given not more than an hour of screen time per day, paired with a minimum 3 hours of physical activities at the very least.

What are the Health Concerns?

1. Obesity: Children who are engaged in screen time while having their meals tend to have diminished satiety cues and hence tend to overeat. This matter is worsened with all the food advertisements aired on television accompanied by the sedentary lifestyle that they adopted due to prolonged screen time. A large international scientific study in 2013 involving almost 300,000 children showed that watching 1 to 3 hours of television a day will lead to 10-27% increase in risk of obesity. Having a screen readily in the bedroom is an independent risk factor for developing obesity.

2. Sleep: The arousing content of gadgets together with blue light emitted from screen will suppress the melatonin hormone production from our body. A study conducted on the usage of smartphone(s) in the bedroom proved it correlates to longer sleep latency, worsened sleep quality, heightened sleep disturbances followed by daytime dysfunction.

3. Child Development: American Association of Pediatrics have stated that infants less than 1 year old who are exposed to more than 2 hours a day of screen time have shown to have significant language delay. The content watched contributes to causing behavioural problems and shorter attention span.

What about Teens and Adolescent?

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) has included Internet Gaming Disorder as a diagnosis. The Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS) was created for Problematic Internet Use (PIU), which comprised of an 18-item scale focusing on three main subscales such as social impairment, emotional impairment, and risky and/or impulsive internet use. Cyberbullying reported high levels of depression and low self-esteem. However, if used in moderation, digital media can be very beneficial for school-going children.

Here’s What Parents CAN DO

1. Encourage face-to-face social interactions

   Physical interaction remains the best approach in encouraging speech and language development.

2. Select quality and age-appropriate programmes

   Well-designed television programmes can improve cognitive, literacy, and social outcomes among pre-schoolers. However, parents should be aware that a vast number of digital content claims to be educational but some of these content are not verified by developmental specialists and trained educators. Therefore, selecting quality and age-appropriate programmes is an important role for parents to play.

3. Adopt a healthy family media usage plan

   Adults should be aware of their own media usage and set time limits for their children. Parents are advised to schedule 1 to 2 screen-free days per week and substituting it with quality, fun physical activities.

4. Emphasise tech-free time

   Parents should emphasise on tech-free times, especially during mealtimes, social gatherings, bedroom, and homework time. Screen time should be absolutely avoided an hour prior to bedtime.

5. Parental guidance is necessary

   Another fundamental strategy is the presence of adults during screen time. Screen time should not be a form of alone time or being used as an emotional pacifier to calm down your child. Parents are encouraged to co-view, co-play, co-engage, interact, and learn together with your children. Often, young children do not understand the educational values of the content viewed. Hence, guidance at the right moment will act as a catalyst for learning.

If your child is facing issues regarding screen and media usage, or struggling in terms of growth and development compared to his/her peers, do contact Dr Ding’s Child Specialist Clinic at Pantai Hospital Manjung or make an appointment with us at 05-6898616. Alternatively, you may send us a WhatsApp message on 010-2155228.

To schedule an appointment with Dr Ding at his clinic, click here.