What is Screen Time?
Screen time is the time spent using devices with screens like TVs, smartphones, tablets, and video consoles.
Screen time can be interactive (e.g. playing video games, video calling via Skype) or non-interactive (e.g. watching movies or YouTube videos). It can also be educational (e.g. Koobits, doing homework online) or recreational (playing games or watching movies for fun).
Depending on how you manage and monitor your child’s screen time, there can be both benefits and risks associated with it.
Benefits of Screen Time
Screen time can have a positive influence on your child when used wisely. This usually occurs when you participate with your child while using these devices, and meaningful interactions are formed as a result of your participation in the activity with your child.
Screen time can be a good platform for you to share your own life experiences and guidance with them. Young children learn best through a two-way conversation and research has shown that it is the “back-and-forth” conversation that improves language skills, rather than passive listening or a one-way interaction with the screen.
Good-quality content and programs for your children are also important. Examples of quality content for your children are those enabling your child to think creatively or learn new skills. These would be much better for your child than watching an online animation or advertisement.
For example, watching a 15-minute video on nursery rhymes with your 2-year-old child can help him or her develop language and literacy skills when you interact with him or her. A video or dance accompanying the rhymes would be even more ideal as it encourages them to be physically active, such as moving along to the rhymes. This is much better compared to watching a 15-minute online animation advertising toys.
Risks of Screen Time
Screen time can also pose physical, developmental, and other risks to your child when not monitored carefully.
Physical: Staring at a screen for long periods of time can cause sore or irritated eyes, headaches, and fatigue. Being inactive for long periods of time can also lead to a less active lifestyle and pose dangers such as obesity.
Developmental: Too much screen time can also impact children’s language and social skills. Screens cannot replace interacting with caregivers, such as talking and playing with them. Engaging in reciprocative conversation is essential for language development.
Excessive screen time can also result in children missing out on developing a wide range of interests, and the learning and friends associated with that interest. Screens can be tempting and have irreplaceable allure, but it is also crucial that it does not displace interactions, engagement, and relationship building.
Other risks: Other risks include the negative influence some media may have on children and their behaviour. For example, children may learn or model violent imagery and coarse language seen in the media. This can be reduced by educating your child on media literacy and monitoring their screen time.
Screen Time Guidelines
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting the amount of time children spend in front of a screen.
Ψ Babies younger than 18 months should not have any screen time, with the exception of video calling with other family members.
Ψ Toddlers aged 18 - 24 months can start to enjoy screen time with the supervision of a parent or caregiver.
Ψ Screen time for preschool children aged 2 - 5 should be limited to just 1 hour a day of high-quality programming.
Tips for Parents regarding Screen Time
1. Be a role model for healthy screen time habits. Your child will learn and model screen time habits from you.
This means you should model good habits such as turning your phone off during meal times and turning off the television once the program is over. You will also be more available to them if you are interacting and playing with them rather than looking at a screen.
2. Balancing screen time with other activities
a) Set limits for your child’s screen time according to the age of your child and your family routines. For example, you may choose to give your child more screen time during weekends or when video-calling a distant relative.
b) Creating tech-free zones is important in encouraging more family interaction, healthier eating habits, and better sleep. This could mean switching off all screens during mealtimes, during family gatherings or outings, and an hour before bedtime. This will also help children learn about socialising and develop better communication skills.
c) Including other activities, such as physical exercise, or creative games, such as puzzles, into their daily routines. Unstructured and offline play helps to stimulate creativity and interaction with caregivers and is important for a healthy development
3. Encourage your children to deal with their emotions
The media can be a very effective way of keeping your children entertained or quiet, but it should not be the only way they calm down. It is important for children to learn how to identify and manage their emotions, how to come up with activities to deal with their boredom, discuss solutions to their problems, learn breathing techniques to calm down, and find alternative ways to handle their emotions.
One way to encourage this behavior is to provide alternative screen-free methods to deal with boredom. For example, during long journeys in the car, instead of letting your child be solely entertained by the media, you can also play games such as “I spy” or pack an activity bag filled with puzzles, books, or drawing materials. This will not only encourage them to be more creative and learn social skills, but it also prevents them from relying too much on technology to occupy themselves.
4. Managing screen time
One effective way of managing screen time is to lay out the choices available to them. You can make a list of programs or games and let them take charge of how they want to use their limited screen time. This helps them to think, plan, and make responsible decisions about their media usage.
Determining how long they are allowed to have screen time may also help. When there is an agreed upon duration, it is more likely that they will cooperate and stop using their devices when given a warning.
As much as possible, you should co-view (watch media with your child) or co-play (play video games or apps with your child) as greater interaction and communication will promote healthy development. However, if they are using media on their own, make sure to be in the know of what platforms, software, or apps they are using and educate them about media literacy.