Screen Time in Children
Dr. Chandana D. Karathully
Smart phones have become an integral part of our life. We rely on them for various purposes, from making phone calls to accessing social media, from taking pictures to making creative works. As time went by since their invention, they became more accessible, super simple to use, cheaper and became more like a mini computer – performing a million tasks. And their functioning is not rocket science; any child can learn how to operate them. But that’s the problem too. All the million tasks that we perform through mobile phones in our adulthood are now accessible to our kids too. Is it safe? Is it okay to provide our kids the key to the vast virtual world when their brains are not ready to experience that wisely? What effects can this have on the little brains?
Any monitor that gives us visual data comes under the same platform of screens. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, televisions – whatever it might be, the time period of engagement with the screens is called screen time. Watching T.V, playing games, watching videos or watching others play games can all be categorized as screen time. Children need play time which is unstructured for creating more neuroconnections, and they need two directional communication with adults for language development. They will benefit more from social interaction than from digital media. But recently, we are witnessing a shift from active reading and playing to passive screen time in their routine.
Of course, screen time is tempting. Let’s face the truth! Most of us are addicted to screens, we may deny it, but we are hooked. We can’t wait to see who has pinged us in the middle of something, we can’t wait to search how many responses our recent social media activity has generated, we most certainly can’t resist the urge to scroll down the social media and just get lost in the virtual world. It’s just that it is so more tempting to children. They haven’t yet grown their sense of will power to resist the pleasure of visual scenery that the screens are providing. And unlike us, they are raised in a time when technology overtakes anything and everything. It’s hard to keep them away from screens. And there are perks of providing them with screen time. It is the single most efficient motivation for kids apart from chocolates and ice creams. They would negotiate to our terms for screens. And a passive child in front of a screen is definitely not a trouble maker. You can leave the child for hours and come back to see they haven’t even moved. And this allows the parents to get something done or have a break for themselves. So, what’s not to love about the screens?
Well, Researchers and Medical Professionals might have a different story to tell us. Recently there is a spike in scholastic and language problems in children which might baffle us given the educational exposure our children are receiving. Problems are noted in attention span, expressive language development and academic performance. Even though researches are still going on, the results of the studies are not really positive. The growing human brain is creating neural connections according to the exposure of stimulus from environment. That’s how our brain development occurs. Such diverse exposure to stimuli happens when the child interacts with the adult, roam around in the house, interacting with toys and elders, learning many many stuff on the go by developing their cognitive and motor skills. But this is not happening when they are stuck in the front of a screen. Researchers have found that the children who are exposed to screen are more likely to develop expressive language delay, in other words, children who watch screens say fewer words. In fact screen time is negatively impacting brain development. Early exposure to screens are predictive to lower developmental outcomes. Most of the parents in developed countries are trying to limit the screen time of their kids. Researchers recommend no screen time for infants, and very limited screen time for children less than 5 years of age. The best way to help our children learn and grow is by interacting with them. Talk to them, read them stories and play with them. No other video can teach them language more efficiently. And a child who is stuck in front of a screen is definitely missing out on critical human interaction.
Another alarming research finding is that the increased screen time in children is associated with pre mature thinning of cerebral cortex in brain, which is the seat of higher mental functioning. This can explain attention and cognitive issues found in children who are exposed to screens more. Children seem to be more distractible than their peers and ultimately their inability focus in anything other than screens can cause academic issues and scholastic backwardness. Even though the research is in preliminary stage, it is a caution for us parents, who exercise no control over the screen time, and thus causing lifelong cognitive impairment in children.
It is a known fact that children who addicted to screens might be having sleep problems. They might also be lacking the deep REM sleep which is essential for memory and learning. Disruption of sleep patterns due to the excessive light from screens can harm both kids and adults. Depressive symptoms are more common in those who have disrupted sleep patterns.
One of the main reasons that children are addicted to screens is that children hate boredom. They are easily bored and they need constant stimulation. Screens instantly satisfy their need for stimulation. But what they don’t understand is that boredom is helping them to think better, and creates imagination and creativity which can help in better skills of problem solving.
Parents, who give screens for their children for soothing themselves, are actually harming the child by denying the opportunity to learn self soothing. A child who runs to the phone, to help him or her overcome the emotional pain is losing the ability of emotional regulation without external electronic gadgets.
And as explained, digital media itself is addictive, how can we be so naïve and provide our kids such an addictive drug and expect them to regulate themselves! Even if they know all the facts and research findings about the screen time, many parents neglect them and continue rewarding their kids with more screens. That is mainly because of the fact that we didn’t grow up with screens, so we don’t know or we are not aware of the extent of damage they can cause, but when professionals warn us against something, it is better to be careful than risking the cognitive development of our child.