In the last article "Babies Need Interaction From Birth" we talked about how important it is for a baby's development to hear as many words as possible. Does this mean that babies who watch shows with a lot of talking will build a rich vocabulary?
Unfortunately no. Not only that but babies may even fall behind in their development. The brain at this stage does not learn from looking at a screen, but from direct face-to-face communication with another person. The rapidly-changing bright images and sounds from digital devices only overload the senses and hamper understanding and learning.
Yet nowadays children's access to screens is greater than ever. We've got the TV, the smartphone, the tablet and the laptop as our instant "helpers" available 24/7 to look after the kids. We use devices at mealtimes, in queues, when our toddler is crying, when they are bored, when we have work to do.. and it's so easy to catch their attention for minutes, and sometimes even hours.
Research, however, shows that passive screen-watching not only doesn't benefit but may even impede children's development.. Excessive watching can lead to speech problems, attention deficit and learning difficulties.
Apart from their direct impact on the brain, lower structural integrity in their brains' white matter, which is key for the development of speech and cognitive abilities. According to another study, the more TV children watch between the ages of 1 and 3, the more likely they are to have difficulties with concentration, when they become 7 years old.
Apart from their direct impact on the brain, screens also affect children's development with what they take away - interaction time with caregivers and active play. As we discussed in previous articles, babies and children learn by exploring the world around them, playing with different items, moving around and interacting. Simple hand activities like touching, squeezing, spilling, sticking in and taking out are in fact very important for brain development but many kids miss out on them while watching TV shows or clicking on the phone screen. Even when we leave the TV on only in the background, it acts as a distraction and limits our conversations with children, which translates to fewer learning opportunities.
How much screen time is actually acceptable? The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends:
 Children ages 0 to 2No screen time |  Children ages 2 to 5No more than 1 hour, less is better |
The recommendations of the World Health Organisation sound difficult to achieve, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, when so much of our lives has moved online. The important thing is to aim for balance - if the child needs to spend more time in front of the screen, it's a good idea to make up for it by organising more interactive playtime afterwards. And if we have to choose when to impose screen time limits, let's start with these two rules - no screen time during meals and before bedtime..
Some parents may be worried that their child won't eat unless the screen is on. It could indeed be difficult at first and there may be angry reactions, even "hunger strikes". However, this rule is very important and will make a huge difference in creating a healthy attitude and eating habits for your child. This is because family mealtime gives children the opportunity to communicate with loved ones, learn more about food and table rules, handle utensils and exercise fine motor skills. All of this would be impossible if the child only expects us to spoon-feed them while they stare at the screen, without even paying attention to their body signals for hunger and fullness.
The other important time when we should avoid screen time is before bed - ideally at least two hours before bedtime. The blue light emitted by phones suppresses the levels of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for the feeling of drowsiness. This means that children who watch TV at night find it harder to fall asleep and their sleep quality may deteriorate, which in turn affects their physical and mental health.
Of course, the content of what children watch is also very important. Many shows for kids on TV or on the Internet are just too fast-paced. The scenes change every few seconds, so the brain is constantly "bombarded" with stimuli. Children get used easily to the high level of stimulation and begin to need that kind of pace in real life. When confronted with regular tasks in kindergarten or school, they find them too slow and boring, which disturbs their concentration and could lead to learning and behavioral problems.
What about educational programmes? Aren't they good for children's development?
Educational programmes can have benefits, but only after a certain age. The baby's brain can't understand the meaning of what's happening on the screen, even if the programme is marketed as educational and targeted specifically at babies. Only after the age of 2 are children able to perceive and learn from educational programming, provided that it's high-quality and interactive (i.e. it gives the child the opportunity to participate) and it doesn't exceed more than 1 hour of viewing per day.
And let's not forget our own behavior. Having our phones within arm's reach often distracts us and signals the child that we are not available because there is something more important than them. The mother you see in the photo to the right repeats the classic psychology "still face experiment", but uses her phone to demonstrate how modern parents often stand with still faces behind their devices and thus break the interaction and connection with their children.
Here is some more advice on how to successfully set screen time limits:
- Make a plan for your family. See exactly what works for you and follow it. For example, watching videos for only 10 minutes a day or only at the weekend. Be prepared that the kids won't be happy about it but it's worth it.
- Think of children being bored as a good thing. Boredom challenges the young explorers to develop their imagination and creativity. If they complain about it, provide them with a safe space with interesting ideas for activities.
- If you need half an hour to prepare dinner, try to keep them busy with something around you in the kitchen instead of just letting them watch something on TV. Children like imitating adults and will be happy to get involved in tasks such as chopping vegetables or mashing potatoes.
- Spend more time with the children outdoors. This is the most natural way to limit screen time, and the possibilities for outdoor games are endless.
Useful resources::
Sources::
John S. Hutton, Jonathan Dudley, Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Tom DeWitt, Scott K. Holland. Associations Between Screen-Based Media Use and Brain White Matter Integrity in Preschool-Aged Children. JAMA Pediatrics, 2019; e193869 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3869
Zimmerman, F. J., & Christakis, D. A. (2007). Associations between content types of early media exposure and subsequent attentional problems. Pediatrics, 120(5), 986–992. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-3322
Chellappa, S. L., Steiner, R., Oelhafen, P., Lang, D., Götz, T., Krebs, J., Cajochen, C. (2013). Acute exposure to evening blue-enriched light impacts on human sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, (5), 573-580.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325147/WHO-NMH-PND-2019.4-eng.pdf
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