CEBU, Philippines – There's an advertisement of a mobile service provider abroad that's creating quite a stir. It shows a mother screaming on the delivery table, as her newborn suddenly pops out. The infant then cuts the umbilical cord after googling how to do it on his father's tablet. Next, the baby grabs the nurse's phone and posts a selfie on Instagram, crawls to a laptop on the floor and signs into multiple social networking sites, and uses a GPS to find his way out of the hospital.
The ad, titled "Born for the Internet," is a bit extreme, of course; but it’s actually not uncommon these days to see very young children swiping away on their parents' touch screen gadgets. Should parents be wary?
An article in the South China Morning Post cites that more and more research studies suggest that limiting a child's screen time is in order. Screen time includes watching television and using the internet and other electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and video games. According to a study by Iowa State University published in "JAMA Pediatrics" in March, children get more sleep, do better in school, behave better and gain other health benefits when parents limit content and the amount of time their children spend on electronic gadgets.
A study involving more than 1,000 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in southeast Michigan, in the U.S., found that children who had more screen time snacked more often and were more likely to choose less healthy snacks. With such findings, it would not be difficult to figure out the consequences the habit has on children's general health. In fact, positive correlations between excessive TV and video game use and weight gain among children have already been established.
But the effects aren't just physical, the South China Morning Post article points out: Children who spend most of their time on electronic devices tend to be more introverted and lacking in communication skills. "Modern electronic devices like smartphones, computers and tablets are useful resources to get children engaged in learning language," says speech-language pathologist Arthur Fang, "but they cannot be the only medium of acquiring language."
The first two years are the most crucial in a child's development. Brain development and formation of behavior are at a critical stage in early childhood. Between ages two and four, even incremental television exposure can delay development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero screen time for children under two years of age. The older children may have no more than two hours daily. Further, it suggests keeping media devices out of children's bedrooms, keeping family routines like mealtimes screen-free, and setting screen-free days for the whole family.
The Hong Kong Health Department has reportedly adopted similar recommendations. Parents are told to encourage children to participate in physical activities and offer the little ones various options to develop their skills.
"When you get to three or four hours each day, that screen time crowds out other important activities that babies and young kids should be engaging in: looking at books, going for walks or playing outside," says Dr. Matthew Davis, a professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, USA.
Prolonged screen time also leads to short-sightedness or myopia, already a prevalent problem among children, even in the Philippines. Many children do not maintain the correct minimum distance from the eyes to the screen when using digital electronic gadgets or computer screens. The recommended distance is at least 50cm from notebooks and computers, at least 40cm for tablets or ebook readers, and at least 30cm for smartphones.
How can parents limit their children's screen time? The key solution is for them to be good role models themselves. The amount of time they spend in front of a screen is closely associated with their parents' own habits, say University of Bristol researchers. One study has found out that children are 3.4 times more likely to spend more than two hours a day watching television if their parents did the same, compared with children whose parents watched less TV.
Figures were much higher on weekends, with 45 per cent of boys, 42 per cent of girls, 57 per cent of fathers and 53 per cent of mothers watching more than two hours of television each day.
Guidance related to excessive screen viewing should involve both parents and children, according to Dr. Sanjay Thakrar, research adviser at the British Heart Foundation. Another good approach to limiting screen time is through location rather than counting minutes, says Dr. Davis. "It's easier to say no smartphones at the table, than watch the clock."
Dr . Theodote Pontikes, paediatric psychiatrist at Loyola University Health System in Illinois, suggests parents discuss with their children and set limits together. At the same time they need to help the young ones understand why limits are needed. He advises parents, "You don't need to follow your child on Twitter or ‘friend’ them on Facebook, but make sure you're communicating face-to-face."
Parents may even have to discipline their own generous impulse to produce every gadget the kids ask for, or at least suspend it until such time when the little ones will have developed the discipline to use it responsibly. Parental love does not necessarily mean giving in to the kids' every desire - but in seeing to it that the kids get only what will work for their good.