Your preschooler is throwing a tantrum, he doesn’t want his cup, and he is not responding to your calm tone. You just got off of work. Your energy and patience are running low. You give him your tablet, and he’s almost immediately quiet. This is a scenario that many parents are very familiar with due to previous and current experience.
However, you may want to think twice the next time you are tempted to give your child a tablet or cell phone. Recent studies have shown that children exposed to too much screen time score lower on reading tests, suffer from behavioral problems, and have a higher chance of developing ADHD.
Effects of Screen time in Children
The Covid19 Pandemic has caused increased use in screen time for millions of children. According to a 2020 census survey, a staggering 65% of households with children reported using online learning during the pandemic. However, even before the pandemic, the use of screen time in children and adolescents has increased. What effect does this have on mental health and cognitive ability? The Landmark National Institute of Health conducted a study and concluded that children who spent more than two hours a day scored lower on language and thinking tests.
The data becomes even more alarming when children with more than seven hours a day of screen time are examined. Children who spend more than seven hours staring at a screen experience thinning of the brain’s cortex. The brain’s cortex is the area of the brain that is related to critical thinking and reasoning.
What does this mean? According to Dr. Jenifer F. Cross, attending pediatrician and behavioral pediatrics expert at New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, this could severely affect how your children learn. “If young children spend most of their time engaging with an iPad, smartphone, or the television, all of which are highly entertaining, it can be hard to get them engaged in non-electronic activities, such as playing with toys to foster imagination and creativity, exploring outdoors, and playing with other children to develop appropriate social skills.”
Screen Time and ADHD
Data from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study shows that the more screen time children get, the more they have trouble paying attention. For example, the study found that by the age of five, children who spend two hours per day looking at screens were seven times more likely to display symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than children who only had 30 minutes of screen time.
Bottom Line
Screens are not going anywhere anytime soon. There are also many benefits to screens, such as tablets, cell phones, laptops, and televisions. However, over-exposure to these devices in children can lead to a decrease in fundamental cognitive ability. So how can you avoid this and still keep your child occupied and entertained? Children, especially young preschool-aged children, learn by interacting with people and the world around them.
Pediatricians recommend watching high-quality content with your child. High-quality content is content that is interactive and teaches children age-related information. Sesame Street is an excellent example of this. While watching this program, parents should talk to children about what they are seeing.
Another way to implement healthy screen time is to have active screen time. What does this look like? You and your child can watch a children’s yoga show. You can have the challenge to see who can do the most push-ups. While this may be difficult for your child depending on their age, you and your child will surely get a good laugh out of the attempts! Implementing screen time regulations in your home may be challenging, but the data shows it is well worth it.
References
Preschooler Screen Time Linked to Attention Problems
https://usafacts.org/articles/65-of-childrens-education-has-moved-online-during-covid-19/
What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Children’s Brains?
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/children-and-screen-time
