‘Ready for the Show?’
That’s something no parent has to ever ask their child, in today’s day and age. The reason is simple:
There’s always a ‘show’ going on for our kids, on ‘some screen’ or the other!
It’s true. With screens in just about every place, limiting screen time for kids can pose something of a serious challenge! In this article from the Kangaroo Kids stable, we attempt to tackle the hard question:
‘Just how much screen time is healthy for our kids?’
Needless to say, it’s a question that is pertinent for the times we live in. Before we set a limit on that screen time, however, here’s a look at 10 reasons why screen time is bad!
Table of Contents
- Screen Time for Kids: 10 Reasons Why Screen Time is Bad
- Understanding How Much Screen Time is Healthy
- Managing Screen Time 101: Tips to Limit Screen Time
Screen Time for Kids: 10 Reasons Why Screen Time is Bad
Be it smartphones or tablets, both are classic examples of screens that are actually doing more harm than we think, to our little ones.
Presenting the top 10 reasons why screen time is bad for our kids.
- Impaired Physical Health. The sedentary lifestyle that results from too much screen time, can cause serious health problems like obesity!
- Lack of Social Skills. If they are not interacting with other kids, how can we expect them to imbibe positives like ‘good communication skills’ and ‘empathy’?
- Negative Impact on Mental Health. Children who spend long hours on social media, run the very real risk of developing depression and anxiety, and even ‘body-shaming’, thanks to the supposedly ‘ideal body images’ on social media.
- They spend less time in the real world. There is no comparing the virtual world with the real, ‘meaningful’ connections children form with the physical world they live in.
- Problems in Concentration. Because so many images are ‘jammed’ together in the online world, children find it hard paying attention to lessons in class.
- Disruptions in Sleep. All that blue light emitted by those screens, disrupts the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. As a result of this, the overall well-being of our children is affected.
- Issues in Language and Cognitive Development. All that time spent in front of screens, deprives them of all the ‘real’ connections they would have otherwise fostered. This in turn makes a dent in their ‘language acquisition’ and even ‘cognitive development’ skills.
- Poor Time Management. Hours can fly past when kids are in front of screens, without their even realizing it! What this means is, they will not be able to finish tasks that are assigned to them, all thanks to having no sense of ‘organization’.
- Behavioral Issues. It has been observed that children who spend way too much time on social media, might turn out to be aggressive. This is partly because of the excessive amount of violent content out there that might be desensitizing them to violence in the real world.
- Effect on Academics. All that time spent in front of those screens, only means that kids spend far more time ‘procrastinating’, than doing actual ‘studies’ that will help them get good grades.
Understanding How Much Screen Time is Healthy
Let’s face it – getting children to be screen-free is impossible. Not forgetting to mention, ‘impractical’, considering the times we live in.
That being said, how much screen time is healthy for our Kids?
While there is no thumb rule here, you want to limit screen time in accordance with the following:
- Less than 2 years. ‘0’ screen time. Exception: When chatting with family members on video call.
- 2-5 years old. 1 hour per day. Note: This should be limited to ‘co-viewing’ with a family member.
- 5-17 years. 2 hours per day. Note: If longer, it should only be to complete their homework.
Managing Screen Time 101: Tips to Limit Screen Time
This is perhaps the section you’ve been waiting for all along, right? Follow these cool tips, to help successfully limit screen time for your child.
- Be Realistic
- Be an Effective Role Model
- Set Fixed Time Slots
- Keep computers in the Shared Spaces of your home
- Encourage Healthier Activities
- Give them a Sense of Accountability
Your fifteen-year-old might not take it well, if you suddenly tell them they can’t have more than 2 hours of screen time a day. Start small – cutting their daily screen time usage by ‘half’ to begin with, is a good way to go!
You cannot imagine just how much your children look to emulate you. Be the best version of yourself that you can, by limiting screen time yourself and showing them the wonders of a world beyond social media!
Of course, this must be done in accordance with their age and daily schedules. It can be helpful, for instance, if you tell your teenager that they can only watch television for an hour after dinner.
This way, you will be able to keep an eye on what they are watching, from time to time.
Perhaps your child is spending too much time on social media, simply because they don’t know better! You want to encourage them to play a sport or perhaps take a music class. Immersing themselves in these activities, they will have less time for their screens.
The best way to give your child some responsibility when it comes to managing their screen time, is to give them a warning 10 minutes before their screen time limit is done. That will empower them to be responsible enough, to stop using their screens when the time has run out.
We at Kangaroo Kids believe that, love them or hate them, Screens are here to stay. The important thing to realize here is, those screens do come with their benefits, too. Which is why, while we should definitely manage screen time for kids to the fullest, we must, every now and then, give them some ‘extra’ time – especially when they’ve been ‘extra good’!
