It is not really a shock to read in the newspaper today that using screens is having an impact on young children’s development. I think that it is having an effect on all children’s growth and learning, and for older children it also effects their lifestyle. With lots of coverage on this subject today in the press, I thought I would share one of the articles to remind and make parents think more about what they are doing when they push a mobile phone or ipad into their children’s hands. The research which has been done in the USA and focuses on younger children, talks about delayed development in children.
Delayed Development Through Screen Use
With a screen in one hand there is less time and learning for children to do other things like experiencing the world outside the home, socialising with other children and playing. These are all important for a child. There is such a bigger and exciting world for them beyond the screen if they are encouraged to discover it. The article Can Too Much Screen Time Hinder Child Development? says that there is insufficient evidence at this point to say exactly how it is affecting a child’s development and it would be good to know how much delayed development there is.
Are children who are spending too much time on screens behind several years with maths? Are they not able to hold conversations as well as past generations? I think that there will be a lot more to come on this subject and there will be proof that too much screen time is affecting eye sight, concentration and food consumption (if it isn’t already).Ple ase have a read and think about the possible impacts on screens for your young children. I don’t want to be seeing your children in my clinic because their development is not where it should be. Limit screen time and encourage your children to be as active as possible.
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