As parents, we have fallen prey to pulling out the tablet or phone to pacify a restless or bored toddler, or to distract them while we try to get dinner on the table. Often this act is accompanied with mixed feelings of guilt and doubts that boil down essentially to: alamak, betul ke cara kita ni?
Tapi kita semua tahu kan, issue screentime ni bukan benda baru. However, with the ready availability of smartphones and mobile devices that can stream content and the development of mobile apps like Youtube Kids and Netflix, screen time is happening at a much more immersive level for younger and younger audiences.
Not only that, screen time is no longer confined to passive viewing – the multipurpose nature of modern devices has created new categories of media use, including communication (video chatting, for example) and interactive play (games and Internet browsing). Jadi, parents mungkin find it hard to balance between exposing anak anak to digital literacy dengan healthy screen time. Ye betul, healthy screen time is possible!
But before that, let’s look at…
How screen time impacts our children’s health
Given the increased pervasiveness of children given screen time, ia sangat penting untuk parents look into what health professionals are most concerned about when it comes to screen time and children. While the emergence of screen time is a relatively recent development, researchers have looked extensively into the effect of television screens on child development. These studies have shown that excessive or low-quality screen time may affect a child’s:
- Social skills
- Sleep
- Eye health
- Weight, leading to issues like obesity
- Propensity for violence
Bukan itu je. UNICEF juga pointed out that screen time yang lebih lebih ada kesan negative on children’s attention span. This will hinder their ability to process the stimuli – which are essential for a healthy brain development – and interfere with their ability to concentrate and focus. It doesn’t stop there! Because excessive screen time limits children’s face-to-face interaction, it reduces empathy and makes it difficult for them to control their impulses.
Wow, mungkin sebab itu kot World Health Organization (WHO) stresses zero screen time for children below two years old.
But don’t be discouraged, parents. We acknowledge that screen time tolong ramai parents dan kita juga faham nak limitkan screen time ni susah sebenarnya, especially when our children are surrounded by other children yang attached to their gadgets.
The key here is to note that the above issues are a result of too much screen time. Regulated digital media use and consumption of high-quality or educational content can actually have a positive effect on the child.
So, what are the guidelines for children’s screen time?
The main recommendations for children’s media use come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which:
- Discourages all forms of screen time, apart from video chats, in children younger than 18 months.
- Recommends supervised screen time of high-quality media in children aged between 18 and 24 months.
- Advises screen time of 1 hour or less per day in children older than 2 years.
Oh… kalau you’re wondering if the type of shows our children are exposed to makes any difference, MomJunction recently compiled a list of shows that emphasise on good moral values with a reasonable amount of stimulation.
Tips and tricks for overseeing your child’s screen time
Ok so, parents juga boleh practice some practical tips to help them balance between digital literacy and screen time.
- Consider a parental control app to control your child’s use of the mobile device.
- Keep in mind that streaming apps like YouTube Kids contain unregulated content that has not been vetted. Try to restrict unsupervised use of these types of apps.
- Create a schedule. If you are consistent about the times and duration, your child will better understand and abide by the rules you’ve created.
- Consider limiting your own media use. Your time spent on the phone or computer reduces time interacting with your child and also models unhealthy behaviors for your children.
- Monitor the shows that your kids are watching.
- Make it interactive by asking your kids questions about the characters, the storyline or the show in general.
Final thoughts
Parents should take into account that there is no universal solution when it comes to screen time and children. What is more important is that the parent takes a realistic and common-sense approach to handling screen time for their child. This may mean not pedantically sticking to the recommended screen time guidelines but making up for it by ensuring the digested content is high-quality and appropriate for their age. In the end, what matters most is creating a plan that works for you and your child.
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Disclaimer: Our content is strictly for educational and informational purposes only. Healthlah.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
