How Much Screen Time Is Good for your Child?

We all use screens now as everyday tools. Our adult screens come into play for phone calls and texts, to check schedules, send reminders, add new contacts, etc. Watching a TV movie and checking the news count too.

I personally don’t play games on screens, but many children do, and even the youngest children can be seen watching an iPad video while Mom shops for groceries. When interviewing new students and their parents, I always ask about video gaming and the amount of screen time normally spent on a daily basis. How much is too much?” the parents often want to know.

Ann Saker wrote for the Cincinnati Enquirer answering that question: Too Much Screen Time Changes Children’s Brain’s Cincinnati Children’s Finds.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has set guidelines for monitoring your children’s screen time, available here at kidshealth.org: Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet.

ABC News has a recent article by Dr. Angela Ryan titled Screen time and Kids: New Findings Parents Need to Know. She cited a study published in JAMA Pediatrics states that extensive screen time can alter brain function related to language and reading development:

"Researchers looked at brain MRIs in 47 preschoolers and found that screen time over the AAP's recommendations was associated with differences in brain structure in areas related to language and literacy development.”

See also Screen Time Guidelines for Babies and Toddlers by kidshealth.org.

I sure hope this is helpful. Please share it with friends who have young children.

For successful learners,

Ann