No E Screen Time for your kid! sounds great one moment and difficult the next. We all know that Screen time is something we should not expose our little ones too but fall prey to convenience every now and then. It is important for parents to take account of what is at stake in their kid’s lives while doing the same. If we are “what we eat” then the brain is what it experiences and E Screen time is mental junk for babies and toddlers. It has been noticed that an increasing number of parents resort to videos on Youtube or television while wanting to feed nutritious food to the child. It is like giving a tub of ice cream along with a bowl of fruits. Is it of any use? This for us to think.
Why avoiding or limiting screen time is recommended for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers:
- Speech delay (with handheld screen time).A recent study that focused on children who were 6 months to 2 years old demonstrated that the more time children used a handheld device each day, the greater the likelihood that they would be delayed in learning to talk. The problem lies not only with what toddlers are doing while they’re watching TV; it’s what they aren’t doing. Specifically, children are programmed to learn from interacting with other people. The dance of facial expressions, a tone of voice, and body language between a toddler and parent. A toddler learns a lot more from banging pans on the floor while you cook dinner than he does from watching a screen for the same amount of time because every now and then the two of you look at each other. Just having the TV on in the background, even if “no one is watching it,” is enough to delay language development. Normally a parent speaks about 940 words per hour when a toddler is around. With the television on, that number falls by 770! Fewer words mean less learning.
- Problem paying attention: Toddlers are learning to pay attention at this age for prolonged periods, and toddlers who watch more TV are more likely to have problems paying attention at age 7. Video programming is constantly changing, constantly interesting, and almost never forces a child to deal with anything more tedious than an infomercial.
- Sleep disruption. Screen time – especially when it occurs within one hour of bedtime – can lead to overstimulation and prevent babies and young children from falling asleep and getting enough sleep.
- Children who overuse media during the preschool years are at risk for weight gain and obesity. Watching TV or other media viewing can displace physical activity and active play.
- Terminally ill diseases: Excessive exposure to radiations from tech devices can also lead to Cancer in some cases. The rate of cellphone/tab/microwave radiation absorption is higher in children than adults because their brain tissues are more absorbent and their skulls are thinner.
- Vision Problem: There used to be a 20/20/20 rule that while working on computers – every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to minimize strain. Kids won’t take their eyes off the electronic screen for 20 seconds, even if they have heard of the 20/20/20 rule. Immediate eye strain and pain can occur followed by a vision problem in the future.
- Aches and Pains: The head, neck, and wrists are often held at odd angles, and thumbs are used in ways they were never meant to be. It all adds up to childhood aches and pains which will worsen as the child gets older.
- Loss of Social Skills: Kids who spend too much time using devices frequently lack the social skills that are needed to help them develop into well-rounded adults. Social skills, people skills and the ability to interact with others of all ages are lacking in kids who spend too much interacting with an electronic device and have limited face-to-face contact with people. By not developing the ability to interact with others face-to-face, future adult relationships for the child may be impeded.
- Aggression Lots of video games feature violence. Even very young kids are drawn to games that use weapons. The more violent and bloody, the more popular the video game typically becomes. That can translate into aggression. Studies show that teens who spend a lot of time watching violent TV shows and/or playing violent video games are far more likely to be aggressive both in the home and at school. These aggressive teens fight with their siblings and peers, argue with teachers and parents and just always seems to be an outburst waiting to happen.
