You probably could already guess that 'too much' screen time for kids isn't great. If you want to know how much screen time is too much, check out our blog post about it. Unfortunately, it's probably a bigger problem than you realize.
Some ways screen usage impact our kids are increases in:
- Obesity
- Irregular Sleep
- Behavioral & Attention Problems
- Violence
Obesity
According to Government Health Information site, Medline, children eat more and make other unhealthy food choices when they're on screens. Worse food as well as more food is a quick recipe to obesity. Additionally, when kids are on screens for long periods of time, they are not being physically active or mentally creative.
Irregular Sleep
A comprehensive look at numerous studies by SleepFoundation.org reports that blue light from screens disrupts children’s sleep by disrupting their sleep-wake cycle. This is disastrous for children, who are already in a vulnerable stage of life as they are growing. Irregular sleep schedules leads to things like increased irritability and doing badly at school. There are already many studies that conclude that blue light is harmful for adults, and children's pupils are much more sensitive while in development.
Behavioral & Attention Problems
The type of content children consume is often fast paced or requires quick decision making. Both of these factors have harmful effects on the attention span of children, making them impatient, more prone to fidgeting, and ... bored. The constant need for accessible & fast paced entertainment becomes more of a necessity the longer that children have access to it.
Violence
There's a distressing link between children's screen time and violence. Not only do children struggle when you take away a child's device, but violent behavior can also persist in their daily lives. A review on the National Library of Medicine found that "Children and adolescents who share most of their time for watching of television are at greater risk for violent behaviors including physical fight, victim and bully." This study is a culmination of over 500 reviews done before 2017, and unfortunately, average screen time has only gone up since then. For a deeper dive into this consequence, we recommend this article by TodaysParent.com.
The harmful effects of screens on our kids are getting exponentially worse over time. 20 years ago, parents were wary of the negative effects watching television had on kids. Now, children can watch TV wherever they want on phones, as well as play mind-numbing games that hinder mental growth. Finding alternatives to online games and videos that allow your children to develop healthily is crucial part of parenting in today's world.