Did you know that children ages 8-18 spend almost 6 to 9 hours a day in front of a screen using entertainment media? That means between 91 and 136 days a year spent in entertainment media! Such a long screen time can expose your children to harmful risks that every parent should be aware of to better address them.
According to CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention), half of this time is spent watching television and does not include time spent at school or at home for educational/learning purposes.
Screen time is an extremely critical issue for us single parents. We are struggling with several issues at the same time, our days are extremely busy, and we often feel overwhelmed. As a result, our kids are likely to spend more time in front of screens than other children.
I work 40hours/week and my office is far from home. After work, I was usually so tired that I used to let my son play with his tablet to keep him busy while I will get ready for the next day. I started to be concerned when I noticed how angry and even aggressive, he was when I would take the tablet from him. He would lie to keep playing or even find creative ways to hide his tablet so that he could play at night while I will be sleeping. I realized that the time spent in front of screens was affecting his behavior and that I needed to fix this problem sooner than later.
We all know that the first step in solving a problem is to understand that problem and the potential risks and associated consequences. When I started reading about this topic, I was worried!
It is essential to understand the impact of screen time on your children and to know the risks that could arise from too much screen time to be able to address them efficiently and keep your kids off their screens. Knowing the consequences of screen time may definitively change your approach and every parent should know the risks.
Using screens can put children at risk. They may be exposed to several risks, but I got you covered with the 3 most harmful risks for children that every single parent should know about to better tackle the screen time problem in their home.
1. Health risk
The World Health Organization(WHO) defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.”
Children are not active when they are in front of their screens. They can swim, run, play soccer / basketball or other physical activities, but instead they watch TV or play video games. This lack of activity can lead to obesity and other health problems.
Too much screen time can affect the physical wellbeing of children which is essential for their development. You must ensure that your child gets at least 1 hour of physical activity per day, which is an hour less spent in front of a screen. There are other activities you can do with your kids to keep them away from screens, read my article here to get inspired.
Screen time can also affect mental health. According to the American Psychological Association(APA), multiple studies found that screen use of more than two hours a day was correlated with depressive symptoms. Regardless of such studies, it is a fact that children are influenced by what they see on their screens, be it TV shows, games, social media which could increase their anxiety, stress, aggressivity, etc. and have an impact on their mental health.
Another aspect to consider is that, in front of their screens, children do not interact with other people. They may not be able to develop the social skills necessary for them to thrive and may have difficulties to find their place in the real world, thus affecting their social well-being.
Every parent wants to see his/her children happy and in good health. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the time that your children spend in front of their screens does not affect their health.
2. Brain development risk
The use of smartphones, tablets and video games may alter the physical formation of your children’s’ brains. According to researchers at Harvard Medical School (HSM), the growing brain is constantly building neural connections while pruning away less-used ones. Children’s brains need to be stimulated but what happens on screens offers stimulation that is impoverished compared to reality. Children need both online and offline experiences to properly develop their brain. They should also be given the opportunity to let their minds wander to develop their imagination and creativity.
My son for example is very good at painting. He has a great sense of color combination and beauty but he painting when he is watching TV or playing video games. If I do not set screen time limits, he will not by himself wants to develop his creativity.
According to preliminary data from a study of the National Institutes of Health, children who reported more than two hours a day of screen time got lower scores on thinking and language tests. There is also some evidence that children who watch a lot of television during the early elementary school years perform less well on reading tests and may show deficits in attention.
Sleep is also key to brain development. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that using devices that emit blue light such as smartphones before bed time can disrupt sleep by suppressing the secretion of the hormone melatonin. In addition, when children stay late at night to play, watch videos or text, they lack the deep sleep necessary to process and store that day’s information in their memory. They may not remember what happened in class that day and this can affect their cognitive development.
3. Risk of Addiction
Sometimes, screens seem like drugs for kids. This is because screen time leads to dopamine release and dopamine is the same feel-good chemical that is released when people use drugs or are just happy to see someone liked their picture on Facebook. The longer the screen time, the more addicted your child will become to screen time, which could lead to behavioral issues.
A young person’s brain does not have a fully developed self-control system to help stop this type of obsessive behavior. It can prevent your kids from keeping information, from performing well in school, from interacting socially. It can also prevent them from developing their emotional intelligence and regulating their emotions.
Self -awareness and self control are critical factors to ensure success in life. Too much screen time can prevent children from developing that confidence in themselves that characterizes successful people. Moreover, if they become addicted to screens, they will essentially live in a virtual world and will not be ready to face reality and real life issues.
As a single parent, I am always afraid of what would happen to my son if anything happened to me. It is very important for me to raise him so that he can be independent , take care of himself as early as possible and be successful in life. I do not want to see him stuck in a virtual world because no one else will take care of him, only himself! We can’t afford that luxury and I would not allow that.
I have collaborated with diverse bloggers to come up with 19 screen management tips to prevent addiction. Read the full article here on smartsocial.com
It is important understand the risks arising from a problem in order to be able to define adequate strategies to deal with it. Screen time is a critical issue with potential harmful risks to the development of our children. Share with us in the comments your strategies for dealing with the risks associated with screen time in your home?
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