In today’s technology driven world it is very difficult for children to avoid screens. Although smart phones and computers offer many benefits to your child’s learning, too much screen time is becoming a growing concern for parents.

Studies show that excessive screen time can negatively affect a child’s health and development. Therefore, it is important for parents to limit that time and monitor the type of content that their children are viewing.

Understanding the dangers of too much screen time can help parents to establish a more sensible approach. To help you learn more, here is some useful information from an independent school in North Somerset.

What are the dangers of too much screen time?

Research suggests that excessive screen time can affect a child’s physical and mental health. This is because it consumes time which could be spent socialising, learning and exercising. Other negative effects of too much screen time are:

Poor health

When time on devices increases, this usually means physical activity decreases. Lack of physical exercise can lead to weight gain and other health related problems.

Vision and posture problems

Looking at a device for long periods of time can lead to eye strain and headaches. Children may also complain of neck and back pain, caused by poor posture habits when using their devices.

Behaviour issues

Excessive screen time can also lead to emotional, social and attention problems. Furthermore, without the proper parental controls in place children can be exposed to inappropriate or violent content online.

Disturbed sleep

Screen time before bed can lead to sleeping difficulties. This is due to the blue light that is emitted from digital devices. Studies have found that this type of light suppresses our melatonin production, which is a sleep-promoting hormone. I always encourage my children to make time to read before bed.

What can you do to reduce screen time?

If you feel that your child is spending too much time on their devices, then you will need to set time limits. Here is where parents need to set a good example and limit their own time too! Setting limits is also important for your child’s mental-health.

It is also your responsibility to ensure that your child is getting enough physical activity, away from their devices. Make time to explore other enriching activities with your child and try ‘unplugged’ family evenings and weekends.

It may be unrealistic and unnecessary to prevent your child from using their devices completely, but encouraging them to enjoy other activities is a good balance.