Less screen time means less bad behavior.
In as little as two weeks, parents could see significant improvements of their child’s mental health and behavior by reducing children’s leisure screen time to only three hours weekly, in response to a latest published in JAMA Network Open.
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On average, children spend seven to eight hours per day on screens for entertainment. Nonetheless, when children drastically reduced their screen time they showed significant improvements of their overall behavior and emotional well-being.
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark analyzed data collected from 89 families with 181 children and adolescents between 4 and 17 years old.
Half of the families were asked to limit their children’s leisure screen time to a maximum of three hours per week per person — a significant change from the average seven to eight hours a day most kids spend.
Those that did found that their child improved internalizing symptoms — behaviors which can be often hidden reactions to emotions and stress — and their prosocial behavior — those intended to learn others.
Kids who modified their habits experienced a decrease in behavioral difficulties moving from the “borderline” category to the “normal” category, in response to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire standardized assessment.
Avoiding hours of screen time a day helped children higher process their emotions and improve their social interactions.
Previous research published in JAMA Pediatrics has shown that children needs to be prohibited from screen time until the age of three as it may result in developmental delays.
Researchers at Drexel University discovered that babies and toddlers who’re allowed screen time usually tend to display atypical sensory behaviors related to neurodevelopmental disorders resembling autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The researchers also discovered that the quantity of screen time the babies were permitted and their age directly impacted their development. Each hour of day by day screen time increased the kid’s probabilities of exhibiting sensory problems by 23% at 18 months but dropped to twenty% at 24 months.
The one exception is video chatting — because the social advantages are likely helpful to a toddler’s development.
