Who knew that we’ll be spending so much time in front of a screen? Do we know how screen time affects children’s development? Let’s face it, you and I are guilty. No excuses, we just are. Technology is here to stay and we’ve been slaves to it for years now. We can’t escape it: it’s in our home, our office, schools and continuesly on-the-go. Although the advances of tech helps us in being more productive, have you ever stopped and thought; how is this affecting my child’s development? If there’s an impact, what is the magnitude?
I recall being overseas and was amazed on how people of all ages were glued onto their phones. Hardly anyone being social. No wonder the “older generations” are quick to point out that we now live in a digital world. But, are we all hands off? According to Pew Research Center on mobile phone ownership over time, it is estimated that the vast majority of Americans or 95% have a cell phone of some kind. As of January 2018, the smartphone ownership is at about 77%. Consider this fact for a moment: in May 2011 the smartphone ownership in US was at about 35%! In 7 years, we experienced a grown of 42% in smartphone ownership! The largest population with a smartphone are the 18-29 year olds. Surprisingly, the 65+ own a cellphone of some kind (85%) and 46% own a smartphone.
How screen time affects children’s development, based on research
Implications of too much screen time:
Liraz Margalit from Psychology Today wrote a research paper in 2016 on What Screen Time Can Really Do to Kids’ Brains. In short the study found that:
- Too much screen time too soon has a negative effect on the ability to focus, pay attention and communicate to other people as well as building a large vocabulary. If you think that you are giving your child the ability to educate them through a tablet, think again. The most critical ages of a child development is from zero to three as the brain develops the fasted during this period. All kids require stimuli from the environment not through screens (playing, listening, watching others, etc.). If a child is exposed to screens for extended periods of time, her or his development is restricted.
- This can have the following consequences:
- Trouble making friends easily
- No real world connection – No on/off switch, resulting in instant gratification of clicking on other videos or images which translates into immediate response
Latest Research:
How about our own effect on our children development? How does that play? A new study from University of Michigan, C.S. Mott Children Hospital is out and it does present some sobering facts about parents that spend too much time on their phones, tables or laptops. The study took into account 170 parents (two-parents homes) in the US with children who were over three years old.
The parents were asked questions about their time spent on their phone, tables, laptops and TVs. Specific questions looked at the duration, the reasons and how these parents use tech devices. The main focus was on how the use of these devices interrupts family time such as checking emails, texts or social media updates. Parents were also asked about their children’ behaviour when checking texts or emails. Key reactions include hyperactivity, grumpiness and negative behaviour of the children.
Conclusion:
The main conclusion of the study is that, the child feels frustrated because there’s not enough importance place on them. This in turn makes the child feel the need to act out for attention, due to parents’ focus on their mobile phones. The fight to get the attention back is usually negative as the child feels that he or she is unimportant. Sobering facts.
Other studies have also concluded that too much screen time on children development, even teenagers or adults can have the following health issues:
- Vision issues
- Poor posture due to excessive time spend on various devices
- Brain development and learning problems
- Mental health and depression
- Lack of attention and sleep problems
Listen, as I mentioned, we’re all guilty. Knowing that, how do we address this issue which is critical when it comes to child development. I’m suggesting some solutions below. By all means, these are not the “all in one” answer to all families that are looking at managing this issues better.
How to manage the impact of screen time on child development (and as a parent also):
- It start with you, so limit the time on your phone, laptop or table the minute you walk into the house. You’re the role model, so be a good one to follow. Most of all, this will give you the ability to be present in the moment versus being there but thinking of something else. Your children deserve your full attention the minute you walk in the door.
- No phones or tables at dinner. Simple straight rule that you can follow. I must admit, we sometime do have a table at the table so that we can feed Noah but realizing that this is not the best option for the long term.
- A movie is fine as long as it does not go over 1 hour. So limit your time accordingly and time it in a way that is beneficial for the family. Example, don’t watch TV too late or too early.
- Get outside and explore the world. Children develop by interacting with other children. I make sure that I take Noah to the park at least four to five times per week, weather pending. This gives him the ability to develop his social skills, his courage (he can get on the slide by himself now!), and play with other children.
Now that you have the latest research on how screen time affects children’s development, how are you going to address it? What was the biggest challenge and the best solution you implemented as a parent? How did it work and what was implementation time frame for it? We look forward to hearing about your own views and recommendations so that we can all benefit together as families.
