Why Screen Time For Kids Needs To Be Controlled

Screen time. It’s a very common topic in today’s world. When you think of all the gadgets that have screens it makes sense why there would be concerns. TVs, laptops, tablets, there are even screens in our cars, but does too much screen time really affect our kids?

#LimitScreenTime #KidsIpads #KidsMentalHealth

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Timestamps:
Intro - 0:00
Screen Time means less Green Time: 01:13
Too Much Screen Time Can Make Kids Sad: 02:45
Screen Time Reduces Dream Time: 03:54

Music:
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Summary:
Controlling screen time can be tricky, because screens are everywhere. According to some big health organizations we should probably be paying more attention to the effects screen time can have on kids, especially the little ones under the age of 5. “Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.”

Screen Time means less Green Time
So the first reason is kind of a no brainer, but sitting in front of a screen means kids are not paying attention to the world around them. Nature plays a big role in how we deal with everyday life. Have you ever felt stressed out, went out for a walk along your favourite beach and instantly felt better? It’s like that. When little ones interact with nature it’s been proven to help lower stress, reduce aggression, and can help them focus later on. Which means the more time in front of the screen, the less time they get to experience those natural mood enhancers and make good habits of playing outside. In fact experts go on to say that screen time can do the exact opposite of what nature does when it comes to aggressive behaviour and focus. Where nature calms and relaxes too much screen time can increase stress levels and create a feedback loop of depression.

Too Much Screen Time Can Make Kids Sad
When kids are young their brains as still developing and studies are telling us that exposure to screens can (and probably will) have a negative effect. Mainly when it comes to video games. This targets kids who are most likely between the age of 8 - 18 and have “regular” exposure to screens, which is about 7 or so hours a day. The main side effects of too much screen time when it comes to addiction and gaming are reported as emotion processing, decision making, cognitive control and the ability to focus one’s attention. Not only that, but games flood the brain with the feel good chemical known as dopamine. The problem with all this dopamine, on a regular basis is that the reward pathways that accept this chemical and make us feel good, get tired and worn out way faster than they should. This means that the kids affected will have to work a lot harder to feel happy. Not to mention dopamine helps with motivation and focus.

Screen Time Reduces Dream Time
We’re sure at one point or another you’ve heard about how you phone can be detrimental when it comes to sleeping. Especially if you’re glued to instagram right up until you go to bed. Well the same concept can be applied to the little ones too. Just two hours on your device at full brightness can suppress the hormone that helps us fall asleep, known as melatonin. Melatonin is what makes you feel sleepy, and if you don’t feel sleepy, you’re probably not going to fall asleep. Chronic disruption of your circadian rhythm (your bodies natural sleep and awake cycle) can cause some pretty serious health concerns.

It’s also recommended that besides things like video chatting to grandparents and friends, you should put into place some screen time rules.

For infants under the age of 24 months, it’s recommended that they don’t get any screen time, besides video calls, like we just mentioned, and for kids ages 2 - 5 an hour of screen time a day is plenty.
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