Are you raising a digital dunce?
CHILDREN who are exposed to too much television, computer games and other digital devices are prone to paying less attention in class, becoming fat, and becoming more tolerant to violence.
Dr Tracy Evans-Gilbert, consultant paediatrician at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, and senior associate lecturer at the University of the West Indies, said excessive screen time can have adverse effects on children at different ages.
“When parents reduce television viewing and replace it with games, toys or books that require focused attention, they do report an improvement in their children’s focus in class,” Dr Evans-Gilbert said.
For children under age two, she said screen viewing can have negative effects on language development and later on affect their reading skills, sleep and attention span.
“I know it’s great to keep them busy while you’re preparing dinner, for example, but a toddler learns more sitting on the floor banging pots and pans and playing with plastic cups than they do when watching television,” she explained.
“In the former, they are playing with a three dimensional object and intermittently they look at your facial expression and how you respond to them. With the television the images are two dimensional and their developing brains have difficulty processing those images. They are programmed to learn from interaction. An object will just disappear on the screen but if a cup rolls away they will lunge after it.”
In effect she said television cannot provide the interaction young children need, as there are fewer words, less learning, no interaction, and this can result in speech delays.
“That is why the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends — no television before age two,” the doctor stated.
Children over two years, during their pre-school years, can learn from well designed educational television programmes which encourage interaction. Children learn more in these instances when they watch these with a parent but the screen time should belimited to less than two hours, Dr Evans-Gilbert said.
Reading, puzzles, playing with blocks and toys will help to stimulate their imagination and increases their attention span.
“Children and adolescents’ screen time on television or a digital device displace more active activities, expose them to unhealthy food choices, alter eating habits, or interfere with sleep,” she explained. “This ultimately results in weight gain. Limiting screen time will reduce inactivity and provide time to participate in outdoor activities.”
Another potential problem especially with adolescents is unsupervised screen time especially if they are permitted to have atelevision or Internet connection in their bedrooms, while some will spend added time watching movies on their mobile devices.
This can be damaging to the teens as violence is often portrayed as humorous or as an acceptable solution to solving problems. In some instances there are no consequences to violence and the character may be lauded as a hero. This, Dr Evans-Gilbert noted, desensitises children to violence and its consequences and promulgates aggressive behaviour.
She advises parents to screen the content of programmes and that movie ratings be adhered to. For the more permissive parents of adolescents, she said shows can be watched together and exposure to violence, sex or alcohol should be teachable moments that open the channels of communication between parent and child.
“The bottom line is that no matter the age group from infancy to adolescence, screen time should not replace face-to-face interaction with your child,” Dr Evans-Gilbert said.
“Limit screen time to two hours per day (excluding schoolwork-related digital activities) and avoid it altogether in children under age two. Open opportunities for interaction, outdoor activities, family time and ultimately healthier families.”
