We have all heard that it is best to limit our screen time. Pediatric guidelines recommend that screen viewing be avoided for infants younger than 2 years and limited to 1 hour per day between the ages 2 and 5 years (World Health Organization, 2019). But how seriously should we take this suggestion in our increasingly technology driven society? And how can we decipher between healthy and unhealthy technology use and create healthier screen time habits? This is part one of a three-part series regarding screen use in children and adolescents, where we will explore what the potential consequences are of too much screen time with each of the three posts focusing on a particular age range: 5 and under, 6 to 12, and 12 to 18+.
Our own individual experiences are bound to influence our decisions about how we monitor screen time for our children. Here in Canada, getting through a long winter of being mostly indoors is challenging at times. Add on the financial restraints many of us face in today’s economy, getting out of the house for activities isn’t always financially feasible and keeping up with constantly evolving children’s interests and developmental needs can feel overwhelming at times. Factors like this can certainly add to the temptation to resort to screen time for our children while we try to keep up with household demands and the hustle and bustle of daily life with small children.
The Research
There have been numerous studies completed recently on screen use under 5 which have indicated that excessive screen time in children younger than 3 years is associated with adverse effects on cognitive, language, motor skills, and social-behavioral development and that children with poor self-regulation are more likely to experience more exposure to screens. (Aishworiya et al., 2022, McArthur et al., 2022 as cited in Yamamoto et al., 2023). Interestingly, one-quarter of children are not developmentally ready for school entry (Janus et al., 2007, Browne et al. 2018, as cited in Madigan et al., 2019).
A Canadian study completed in Calgary in 2019 by (Madigan et al. 2019) sought to answer the question: Is increased screen time associated with poor performance on children’s developmental screening tests, and does the screen time create the developmental delay, or is the developmental delay present before screen time exposure? The study, which examined children at 24 months, 36 months, and 60 months determined that these young children were watching 2.4, 3.6, and 1.6 hours of screen time per day, respectively. They observed that higher levels of screen time in children aged 24 and 36 months were associated with poor performance on a screening measure assessing children’s achievement of development milestones at 36 and 60 months, that these developmental delays were due to screen time , and not a result of a preexisting developmental delay (Madigan et al., 2019). Some of the main reasons for this are that when young children are observing screens, they are missing important opportunities to practice and master interpersonal, motor, and communication skills (as cited in Madigan et, al, 2019). This means less time for walking, running, talking, reading books, and all the other activities young children are meant to do! These day-to-day activities which we may take for granted now as adults are essential for fostering optimal growth and development.
What Can We Do About It?
Pediatricians recommend creating a family media plan to help guide family decisions about how they will use screen time. Having an agreement between all caretakers of the children is an important aspect of the family media plan, which can help to avoid confusion and conflict around the issue of screentime. Through the media plan, caretakers can decide on acceptable and alternative solutions to screen time battles that keep in mind the child’s optimal development.
You can create your own family media plan at home. These often include agreements such as:
No screen time upon waking or right before bedtime
When you do choose to use screens, ensure that the content your child is watching is high quality and educational
No screen time at meals
Turn off screens when the child is engaged in another task to limit distractions and improve concentration
No screens in the bedroom or at bedtime or first thing in the morning upon waking
Click this link to create a family media plan online using a handy template and print to post on the fridge!
Additional Option: Explore Your Community EarlyON programs!
An excellent and free alternative to screen time is to go to your local EarlyON program where you can bring children under 6 to play and socialize for free. These programs provide an excellent opportunity to get out of the house for both parents and their children to socialize and have some fun while practicing skills that will encourage their development. These programs usually have a ton of sensory experiences and crafts set up for kids, so all you have to do is walk in and enjoy. They offer a creative and nutritious snack at most of their programs as well!
Click the link to find a location and schedule near you.
References
World Health Organization. (2019). Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. World Health Organization. https://iris-who-int.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/handle/10665/311664.
American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics announces new recommendations for children’s media use. http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx. Published October 21, 2016. Accessed August 30, 2018.
Sakurai, K., & Mori, C. (2023). Screen Time and Developmental Performance Among Children at 1-3 Years of Age in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(11), 1168–1175. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3643
Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C., & Tough, S. (2019). Association Between Screen Time and Children’s Performance on a Developmental Screening Test. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(3), 244–250. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5056
Aishworiya, R., Magiati, I., Phua, D., Daniel, L. M., Shek, L. P., Chong, Y. S., Gluckman, P. D., Meaney, M. J., & Law, E. C. (2022). Are There Bidirectional Influences Between Screen Time Exposure and Social Behavioral Traits in Young Children? Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001069
McArthur, B. A., Hentges, R., Christakis, D. A., McDonald, S., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2022). Cumulative Social Risk and Child Screen Use: The Role of Child Temperament. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 47(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsab087
Janus, M., Offord, D. R., & Irving, G. (2007). Development and Psychometric Properties of the Early Development Instrument (EDI): A Measure of Children’s School Readiness. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 39(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/cjbs2007001
Browne, D. T., Wade, M., Prime, H., Jenkins, J. M., & Graham, S. (2018). School Readiness Amongst Urban Canadian Families: Risk Profiles and Family Mediation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(1), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000202
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