Screen time for children and teens is a tough topic. Parents often use screens to get a break. Kids love playing games and keeping in touch with friends. But more experts are alerting parents about screen time. Devices, social media, and artificial intelligence can have devastating consequences for young users.
In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics released findings from a “cross-sectional study of 350 children aged 6 months to 4 years seen…at a pediatric clinic in an urban, low-income, minority community.”
Some of the numbers below may shock you. No matter your family tax bracket, your kids may fit this mold. Can you relate to all this high-tech gear and its usages?
• Most households had television (97%), tablets (83%), and smartphones (77%).
• Three-fourths of 4-year-olds had their own mobile device. Half had their own television.
• Almost all children (96.6%) used mobile devices. Most started using them before age 1.
• Parents gave children devices when doing household chores (70%), to keep them calm (65%), and at bedtime (29%).
Screen Time & Children
That’s a lot of screen time—or at least a lot of screens. Is this a problem? According to experts speaking to The New York Times, answers fell into three categories.
1. We don’t know.
Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital, said many studies ring alarm bells without any context about why parents should be concerned. He said scientists must commit to researching effects of media usage, not just frequency of use.
2. Probably.
Another expert said although we can’t yet know the effects of early-age screen time, it could prove to be a huge problem. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychology professor at Temple University, said, “If children are sitting by themselves glued to digital candy, we simply don’t know what the consequences are for their early social development.”
