Introduction
Should screen time be limited for children in today’s realities? In today’s digital world, children grow up in an environment where numerous technologies and innovations surround them. This contributes to their immersion in the use of various gadgets, such as smartphones and computers.
However, there are both positive and negative aspects to this, which raises the question of whether children should limit their screen time. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommends limiting children’s gadget use to 2 hours (AACAP, 2020). However, it is necessary to consider the limitations of screen time from both negative and positive perspectives to gain a holistic understanding of the issue.
Negative Impact of Technology on Children
The COVID-2019 pandemic has forced many students to study online, thereby increasing their daily computer time, which can hurt their health. According to the World Bank (2021), quarantine measures in response to the coronavirus have affected 1.6 billion students worldwide. Because many people were forced to spend more time at home, this has led to an increase in obesity due to limited physical activity. The development of diseases can also give rise to many complicating factors that reduce children’s well-being. This means that reducing screen time could, in theory, improve their health.
Screen time significantly limits children’s activity outside the door, distracting them from the need to maintain their health. Obesity is a direct consequence of increased screen time. However, this disorder can have long-term consequences for children and affect their future health (Surekha et al., 2021). Thus, limiting screen time is vital to preventing the negative impact of sedentary behavior on children.
Positive Effects of Technology on Children’s Development
Although screen time can have a significant negative impact on children’s well-being, it can also have positive effects. Some researchers have shown that interaction with gadgets can improve and accelerate children’s development, thanks to their access to a vast amount of information (Pandya & Lodha, 2021). This, in turn, can increase children’s general awareness of topics of interest to them and improve their digital literacy.
Online education also offers significant benefits of screen time, as children are busy searching for information and expanding their knowledge. These arguments are solid for keeping hours spent on a computer or smartphone manageable at the current level. The positive aspects of gadget use highlight its importance in children’s development and the acquisition of new skills.
Additionally, screen time has a significant impact on language development (Karani et al., 2022). Thus, the positive aspects of screen time help them develop and adapt to later adult life. As such, restricting Internet interaction can have the opposite effect, eliminating the educational benefits for children who spend time in front of the screen.
Conclusion
As the factors studied show, online learning has increased children’s screen time. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was an acute need to reorganize education and shift it to an online mode, which led to restrictions on activity. At the same time, this has both negative and positive consequences that must be taken into account. If parents do not control screen time, it can lead to obesity and further deterioration of the child’s health. A key aspect of managing screen time is identifying the best option for a child.
References
AACAP. (2020). Screen time and children.
Karani, N. F., Sher, J., & Mophosho, M. (2022). The influence of screen time on children’s language development: A scoping review. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), 825.
Pandya, A., & Lodha, P. (2021). Social connectedness, excessive screen time during COVID-19 and mental health: a review of current evidence. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 3, 45.
Surekha, B. C., Karanati, K., Venkatesan, K., Sreelekha, B. C., & Kumar, V. D. (2021). E-learning during COVID-19 pandemic: a surge in childhood obesity. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, 1-7.
World Bank. (2021). Learning losses from COVID-19 could cost this generation of students close to $17 trillion in lifetime earnings.