Web Desk(August 15, 2018): Experts say excessive screen time is causing serious health issues for children. Obesity is among them. Here’s some ways parents can limit mobile devices.
As screens have become pervasive in everyday life, particularly the minicomputers in our pockets, experts are still trying to get a firm grasp on the changes they may be having on our health.
But a clearer picture of the effects of smartphones and other screen-based devices is beginning to emerge.
As far as childhood obesity is concerned, it doesn’t look pretty.
Screen time is making kids more sedentary, and that sedentary behavior is tied to a child’s weight, the American Heart Association (AHA) warns in new recommendations issued last week.
Experts have long warned of the dangers of too much television time and encouraged parents to turn off the TV and get kids outside and moving.
But in recent years, simply turning off the set in the living room is no longer enough.
“I’m surprised at how quickly it’s become the norm, that we have these multiple screens that are ubiquitous and we’re not questioning the harm,” said Tracie Barnett, an epidemiologist affiliated with the University of Montreal and McGill University who chaired the committee that wrote the AHA report.
“It’s sort of become part of the landscape and that’s it,” she told Healthline. “But it’s quite a significant jump compared to 10 years ago… It’s not just that we’ve replaced what we view TV content on, but overall it’s really exploded, because now you’re being bombarded.”
How to reduce children’s screen time
The biggest way to avoid those effects is limiting screen time itself.
In fact, Barnett says parents shouldn’t use their phones or other devices when they’re with their children.
“It implicitly gives them the message that’s it’s OK and that we can be interacting with our phones instead of with each other,” she said.
Barnett also recommends zero screen time during mealtimes or in bedrooms and no screens for kids under 2 years of age.
She concedes that “quality” screen time when a caregiver is interacting with a toddler during a show may be OK in limited amounts. However, she adds, “regardless of whether sedentary time is spent with parents or not, it still contributes to sedentary time.”
Hill says he recommends no screens before 18 months of age, although something like video calls with Grandma would be OK.
“I always ask, ‘What’s the goal?’” he said.
Reasons such as “because their friends are all doing it” aren’t acceptable, Hill says. He notes the AAP offers a planning tool to help parents set the right amount of screen time.
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