In the present digital world, each individual is now becoming completely dependent on digital devices and feels pleasure by indulging in the digital world. They do not even start their day or step out of bed without checking on their phones. Unfortunately, there is a strong negative impact of screen time on child mental health.
Affected children keep their smartphones or digital devices with them like breathing masks throughout the day. Moreover, children always mimic the behavior of their parents or seniors. They also love to play games, and watch their favorite series instead of doing any outside activity. Their screen time is more than the reading or learning time that needs to be addressed. Even nowadays, babies have inbuilt knowledge of how to navigate smartphones. But unfortunately, this is not appropriate for their mental health.
Excessive screen time can severely affect their brain growth and development. Moreover, the elevated ratio of screen time in children can lead to the onset of anxiety and depression. So as a parent of a child who is addicted to screens, you should be concerned about their mental health. You should also determine how much time your child spends in front of the screen. If you are getting worried about your child’s growth and development then give them a permanent pause. This article will give you detailed information that which screen time is useful for your child’s mental health. In addition, you will also get complete insight into what you can do the decrease or minimize the screen time of your child to protect his brain growth and development. So let’s get started!
What is the expert’s opinion on Screen time?
Undoubtedly, technology has significantly advanced our lives but excessive use can impart various negative impacts, especially on children’s mental health and their overall lives. Screen time is the specific period when children get completely exposed to technology. Almost every second child considers technology as a source of fun or entertainment. They do not focus on learning and prefer to spend their time playing video games and watching cartoons on TV or smartphones etc. Moreover, they also utilize their devices to communicate with their friends and consider them as a source of amusement.
Although screens play a significant role in learning, if children spend extra time while sitting in front of screens then they can experience cognitive impairments and result in poor academic performance. This ultimately results in no physical activity and one of the major impacts of screen time on a child’s mental health is different physiological issues in children such as obesity.
Moreover, even if they are doing any other activity while seeing the screen, this can lead to altered executive functioning. In the early childhood stage, extra screen time can also negatively affect language development and also cause behavioral issues. However, if the parents limit their screen time and raise the period of interaction with their children, then all such issues can be avoided. With the help of some preventive strategies, you can limit the screen time of your children. Parents should find some strategies to create a balance between the use of technology and essential life activities so their child experiences positive and healthy screen habits.
What are the screen time recommendations for Children by experts?
Different experts have their perspectives regarding useful screen time for children of all ages. However, the most common recommendations for screen time to prevent the impact of screen time on a child’s mental health are as follows:
Recommendations for Infants
Infants are very young offspring and are in their critical period of growth and development. This is the main time when their brain needs effective space and time for appropriate growth and development. So parents should prioritize their mental health. They should even limit the use of digital media when they are present around them. Various harmful rays are emitted from the screen that can harm their brain activity. Moreover, their process of brain growth and development is severely affected. Instead of giving them smart devices, give them some toys to play with. You can also engage them in different productive activities that improve their focus, learning, and development.
Recommendation for Toddlers
Toddlers are the kids who are between the age of 13 months to 3 years. They can easily crawl or slightly walk and can access smartphones or digital devices. First, make sure that you do not allow their usage. However, if you think that certain TV shows are productive and helpful for learning then you can be a partner during their screen time. Moreover, you can also ask different questions to engage them and you can also get their views to better understand whether that show is useful for them or not.
Recommendations for School-going children
Children who start their schooling need to focus more on their learning. In any case, if they suffer from any mental illness then they will have to struggle more as compared to normal children. Parents should make some strategies for them so they avoid the excessive use of screens and social media and only pay attention to their academic activities. Parents should make a schedule for their entire day and advise them to wake up and move to bed early. Moreover, they should also add some nutritious food products to their diet and also encourage them to participate in some extracurricular activities or do physical workouts. In this way, they will surely feel more energetic in their school and also stay protected from the consequences of m
What are the positive aspects of Screen time?
Undoubtedly, excessive screen time is harmful but it also exerts some positive effects if you are watching any educational content and striving to learn productive things then you can sit in front of the screen. In addition, for classroom learning, screens are also important and teachers should place the screens in the classroom so students take more interest and learn new things. Moreover, if you find any difficulty in meeting your teachers or friends then you can also take online sessions on your home screen. So it can be concluded that healthy screen time can cause memory development as well as various social skills.
How does Screen time affect brain development?
During the developing age of children, the brain is more capable of retaining memory. Moreover, learning skills are also easy during the growing phase of the brain. If children are involved in the process of learning then at that time, they can learn more and store the memory for a longer period. But unfortunately, children do not consider this and keep themselves busy in sitting front of the screen. Therefore, most of the vital activities get sidelined due to excessive screen time.
Effect of screen time on Theory of mind
Theory of mind is a brain function that normally develops in children at the age of three or four. With the help of this brain function, children can understand the mental states, thoughts, and perspectives of others. During the early age, this brain function is affected by excessive screen time. However, when the children get young, this brain function improves and they better understand the complex emotions of their family or friends.
How does it affect Mental health?
The greater the time the children spend in front of the screen, they are directed toward common mental health issues. Excessive screen time prevents the appropriate learning and development of social skills, therefore they prefer to stay alone instead of engaging in any social community. Their isolation ultimately leads to anxiety or depression.
Moreover, various brain structural changes also occur in the brain. Different studies have reported that excessive stay in front of the screen can result in the reduction of white matter region that is specifically involved in the development of cognitive skills. In addition, the cortical region of the brain also becomes thin.
Likewise, it is also stated that if a child in the early developmental stage spends two to four hours in front of the screen then they face more difficulty in communication, language as well and problem-solving. Likewise, the motor activity of neurons of toddlers is also affected.
How does excessive Screen time affect the behavior of children?
Although screen time affects brain growth and development, children also exhibit undesired behavioral changes that make their lives difficult. Some of the common behavioral changes that result from the excessive screen time are as follows:
- Difficulty in emotional expression
- Attention challenges
- Issues in the sleep-wake cycle
- Irritable behavior
How to protect your child’s mental health from the negative impact of Screen time?
By taking some essential and preventive measures, you can help your child get rid of the negative impact of excessive screen time and experience sound mental health.
Analyze the behavior of your child
Parents should closely take a deep look at the mental health of their children. If they ever find that their child is becoming rude or aggressive or not making friendly bonds with friends or loved ones, then they should immediately consider their mental state and do some prevention to protect them from mental issues. The first thing that they can do is to talk with their child and ask about their feelings. Then based on their mental and behavioral changes, they can better plan the next strategy.
Set the boundaries for screen time
Make a proper schedule of lifestyle for your child. Do not allow the continuous use of smartphones and decide a specific time for their usage. Moreover, also make sure that their other life activities are never disturbed. Do not allow phones or tablets at mealtime, while doing assignments, during family time, or during sleep time.
Develop a media plan
Parents can collaborate and develop some healthy media plans together. They can decide what is the appropriate screen time. Moreover, they can also determine which type of media is safe for the mental health of children and which they have to avoid.
Stop the use of background devices
Whenever you are doing any work or any productive activity and your child is also a part of it then you should not keep your screen on. Switch off them so your child pays more attention to the activity.
Be an example for your child
Parents are the role models of their teachers. So whatever you do, your children mimic them. So you should also restrict the use of technology so your child follows you and establishes a healthy and balanced bond with technology.
Give your child rewards
Motivate your child to participate in healthy activities. But if your child does not show interest in extracurricular activities then you can provide them screen time as a reward. Ask them to complete their homework on time and then they can enjoy their screen time without any restriction.
Screen-free productive activities
Try to indulge your child in some fruitful extracurricular activities by decreasing their screen time. Based on the age of your child, you can organize different outdoor or indoor activities so your child only focuses on learning new things instead of getting mental health issues due to the increased screen time.
How can Brainpower Wellness Institute assist your child in getting mental stability?
Different online platforms provide the top and most diverse mental health services for all individuals including children, adolescents, and adults. Our mental health experts take care of your child’s mental health by providing the best possible treatment and strategies to protect their brain from all common mental health issues. You can get professional help if you want to keep your child away from the screen and make him successful in each phase of life. Moreover, we also provide telehealth services for individuals who face difficulty in physical commuting. Without moving anywhere, they can make healthy use of screens and get the best strategies to protect their child’s mental health from the negative impact of screen time.
