In today’s digital age, where screens are an integral part of our lives, parents often face a dilemma about their children’s exposure to digital devices. In a world dominated by screens, navigating the balance between digital exposure and healthy development has become a pressing concern for parents. Are screens harmless fun or harmful distractions?
To shed light on this critical topic, we spoke with Dr. Aditi Shah, a highly experienced child specialist with over 14 years of experience, Dr. Shah, a compassionate and patient-centered child specialist, offers invaluable guidance on this topic. Specializing in vaccination, infectious diseases, pediatric allergies, growth and nutrition, and infant care, Dr. Shah is dedicated to simplifying complex health concerns and empowering parents with effective strategies. Her expertise in fostering healthy habits and her commitment to personalized pediatric care make her insights an essential resource for families striving to raise well-rounded, resilient children.
Let’s hear Dr. Shah’s expert take on managing screen time and fostering a healthier, more interactive childhood.
1. How do screens affect early childhood development?
Some studies suggest that when very small children are constantly exposed to screen viewing it can have detrimental effects on their language skills, sleep patterns, attention, focus and memory as they grow up. Toddlers primarily see bright colors, movement, and contrasting visuals on a screen, often focusing on the most visually stimulating elements like flashing lights or large, animated characters, rather than comprehending the deeper meaning or narrative of what’s being displayed; they may not fully grasp the concept that what they see on screen represents real-life objects or people until around age 3. Hence they are not using the screen content to build a memory, learn new words to communicate or understand language. They may remember the tune, by heart the nursery rhyme words or even speak certain words in an accent like the cartoon characters they watch, but they are unable to use these words to form their own sentences when they want to express something.
Now if this child who has been addicted to the screen since being an infant carries the gene for autism, he/ she will get all full-blown symptoms of autism as there is a lack of interaction with living people around and attachment only to the screen as an object.
The early years of childhood are crucial for acquiring language skills and children develop various aspects of language, including vocabulary and phonology. These skills are acquired through interactions with adults. Numerous studies have highlighted the significance of human interaction, particularly the frequency and quality of exchanges between adults and children, in the development of language skills. However, there is a growing concern that screen time diminishes the quantity and quality of interactions between children and their parents, resulting in fewer chances for the child to practice and develop their language abilities.
Babies need humans not screens. But with the highly stimulating screen content, the child fails to appreciate the facial expressions of his mother or the lullaby she is singing. Their desire to communicate is gone as whatever they are feeling can be suppressed by watching the screen. The phone or tablet is very effectively used by many parents as soon as they feel their child is getting uncomfortable or cranky or hungry to calm the child.
Young children need their dose of boredom. It teaches them how to cope with frustration and control their impulses.
Even in children from 3 years onwards screen addiction has reduced their outdoor play, interaction with friends or even parents. Their attention span has become limited, and there is no focus because of this they find it very difficult to sit in a classroom, follow instructions or even switch between tasks, and complete tasks once they start schooling.
Everything on the screen is so fast-paced and reward trigger driven, that the child needs the same speed in real life and manifests as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). They are so used to instant gratification that if things don’t happen the way they want, they get very emotionally labile, throw tantrums, cry incessantly and even harm themselves at times. As they turn into adults this progresses into a variety of psychological problems.
If the child is watching screens unsupervised, the content they watch can be age-inappropriate or that giving self-doubts, and ideas of body dysmorphism, or there may be very disturbing videos which may bring fear, anxiety or stress in children.
In adolescents, the screen is social media which is like being on an emotional roller coaster—constantly comparing themselves to what they see online or feeling left out. This can lead to fights with friends or family because when you’re already feeling down, it’s easier to get upset over small things.
Excessive screen viewing has been linked to obesity, sleep problems, depression, and anxiety.
2. What age is appropriate to introduce screens?
It would be most ideal to not introduce screens to children at all. However, in today’s digital age, IAP (Indian Academy of Pediatrics) suggests that at 2 years, parents could introduce digital devices such as computers and television but should view the screens along with the children and prefer educative interactive programs for a short duration of time.
3. What are the recommended screen time limits for different age groups?
Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommendations:
Children below the age of 2 years should not be exposed to any type of screen with the exception of occasional video calls with relatives.
Screen time for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years should not exceed 1 hour; the lesser, the better.
For older children and adolescents, it is important to balance screen time with other activities that are required for overall development. These activities include an hour of physical activity (playtime), adequate duration of sleep (recommended sleep time varies with age, for example, adolescents require 8–9 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night), and time for schoolwork, meals, hobbies, and family time. If any of these activities are displaced due to screen use, then it is called excessive screen time and it should be reduced.
4. How does screen time affect sleep patterns in children, and what can parents do to mitigate this?
- The light from screens can disrupt the production of melatonin, a sleep hormone. Screen time can make children more alert and increase their heart rate, making it harder to fall asleep.
- Screen time can delay the circadian rhythm, which can push back sleep onset and shorten sleep duration.
- Interferes with the bedtime routine.
- Disturbing content on screen can cause nightmares and give poor-quality of sleep.
In order to avoid sleep problems in children, parents can follow a simple bedtime routine called sleep hygiene.
Children less than 2 years old should not be viewing screens at all. For other children follow the age-wise time restriction for screen viewing very strictly. The rules made have to be followed by all family members.
Avoid screens at least 2 hours before bedtime. Keep lights dim, reduce physical play and encourage the same routine daily before falling asleep like reading a book, singing a lullaby or chanting religious prayers. Keep the environment very comfortable.
In the day if the child is watching the TV, co-viewing with a parent is better so that content can be controlled by the parent. Parents should be encouraged to give a child a routine to follow every day at home so that the child is automatically busy and does not need to think about what to do next and feel like going back to the screen. Parents should take their child outdoors during the day and encourage physical unstructured play with other children every day.
5. What are some engaging alternatives to screen-based entertainment?
- Giving the children a fixed routine to follow throughout the day is very useful.
- Encourage physical play like running, skipping, jumping and in older children swimming or any sports, athletics.
- Indoor activities like drawing, painting, clay moulding, origami, rubicons cube solving, and board games like chess, and carrom are very good for improving focus and fine motor skills.
- Activities that can be done by parents and children like dancing and yoga make the children have a fun time.
- Encourage small children to help with daily chores at home like cleaning vegetables, putting wet clothes for drying, folding dry clothes, etc.
- Older children could be given projects that could encourage them to plan their day, do community service in some form, and engage in communication with different people from different ages and walks of life.
Dr. Aditi Shah’s insights highlight the importance of mindful screen use and its profound impact on children’s development, behavior, and overall well-being. While screens are an unavoidable part of modern life, maintaining a balance is crucial. Parents play a pivotal role in guiding their children toward healthy habits, fostering meaningful human interactions, and encouraging enriching activities.
By taking proactive steps and adhering to recommended guidelines, parents can ensure their children grow up in an environment that nurtures their physical, emotional, and intellectual growth—away from the overdependence on screens.
For more expert guidance and pediatric care, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Aditi Shah at Small Wonders Children’s Clinic at Santacruz West, Mumbai.