{"id":31343,"date":"2019-01-11T03:45:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T11:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=31343"},"modified":"2019-01-09T14:59:32","modified_gmt":"2019-01-09T22:59:32","slug":"limiting-screen-time-is-vital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/01\/11\/limiting-screen-time-is-vital\/","title":{"rendered":"Limiting screen time is vital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Video Interaction Project coach Jenny Arevalo in action. (photo by Andy Reichsman\/Ames Hill Productions)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the ever-increasing number and variety of\nscreens and gadgets grabbing our attention, pediatricians are asking us to take\na step back. Some are even leading a counter-movement, warning parents and\ncaregivers of the harm these technologies are inflicting on children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a general and\ndevelopmental behavioural pediatrician, is an associate professor of pediatrics\nand population health at New York University\u2019s School of Medicine and Bellevue\nHospital Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American Academy of Pediatrics published a\nstatement designed to help pediatricians and parents think about toys for their\nchildren, in an era where toys have really evolved,\u201d Mendelsohn told the Independent<\/em>.\n\u201cA very significant concern is that toys with bells and whistles, so to speak \u2013\nwith electronic gadgetry on the one hand or apps designed to engage children on\nthe other \u2013 are likely to have very limited, if any, benefit to very young\nchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mendelsohn has been working to use the\npediatric primary care centre to support parenting activities most likely to\nhelp children\u2019s development and school readiness. This has led to other\nprograms, like Reach and Read and the Video Interaction Project, both of which\nteach parents the importance of reading and playing with their kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still have the same kinds of toys we\u2019ve had\nin the past \u2013 simple, pretend kinds of toys,\u201d said Mendelsohn. \u201cBut, at the\nsame time, digital toys have become a high level of focus and priorities for\nmany families. And, that\u2019s in part as a result of the extensive messaging taking\nplace about how electronics can be so important for children, and how apps and\ncomputers are going to help children learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"photo
Dr. Alan Mendelsohn (photo courtesy Alan Mendelsohn)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to Mendelsohn, there is limited or\npossibly even no good scientific evidence that screens can be beneficial for\nchildren under the age of 2 \u2013 with the possible exception of video chats in\nwhich the screen is functioning as an opportunity for interaction with family\nmembers that otherwise would not take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, he said, there is extensive\ndata documenting that electronic add-ons, and screens more broadly, have a\ngreat deal of potential for harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is true for children of all ages, but\nit\u2019s especially true for very young infants, toddlers and children who have not\nentered school yet … for whom that screen time \u2026 not only can lead to\ndevelopmental challenges … but it can actually interfere with play and with\nparents being able to engage together with their children in the kind of rich,\nlanguage-based interaction that advances children\u2019s development,\u201d said Mendelsohn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends\nthat children under 2 have no screen time, other than the aforementioned video\nchats. For children 2 and older, they recommend limiting screen time to one\nhour or less, and having that screen time be high-quality, i.e. educational,\nprogramming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis limited screen time should be used as an\nopportunity for interacting, rather than viewing it as an opportunity for\nbabysitting, which is how it\u2019s often used and viewed by parents,\u201d said\nMendelsohn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParents using screen time as a distracter is\nnot necessarily a bad thing…. The academy recognizes, and I think the\npediatric community recognizes, just how hard it is to be a parent, especially\nof a young child. Parents spend the day working and come home to chores,\nhousework and all kinds of things. Obviously, screen time can be very helpful\nto parents in that way. But, it\u2019s important that parents realize the potential\nfor harm to their children \u2013 recognize that screen time is unlikely to be\nbeneficial for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mendelsohn recommends that parents find\nopportunities to play with their kids and read books with them, as these\nactivities are likely to improve their child\u2019s development and help create a\npositive parent-child bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe important thing here is that excessive\nscreen time, regardless of age, has the potential to lead to problems and\nchallenges for children by interfering with their capacity to pay attention\nonce they start school, as well as by causing challenges with their capacity to\nregulate their own behaviour and learn in school,\u201d said Mendelsohn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools are using more and more screens and\ntechnology, and Mendelsohn doesn\u2019t condemn the use of screens and technology in\nan educational, monitored setting. Rather, monitored use should extend into the\nhome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParents face a great deal of challenges as\nthey seek to do that,\u201d he said. \u201cThe important thing is for parents to be aware\nand to work, particularly as their children get older, to monitor their\nchildren\u2019s screen time and to interact with their children when screen time is\ntaking place, especially higher quality kinds of programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEqually important is for parents look for\nopportunities to turn the screen off … to have those opportunities every day,\nwhether through reading books together or playing together \u2013 always aiming to\nhave quality time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electronic games are not all created equal and\nthose that are engaging and interactive, that foster playing with others \u2013\nqualities many board games possess \u2013 are likely not harmful and might even be\ngood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are not clear answers,\u201d said Mendelsohn.\n\u201cBut, what is clear is that screen time can be overwhelming in time, and that\nparents have difficulty limiting it. Limiting and monitoring it is the key to\nhaving screen time be one of many components of a child\u2019s life as she or he\ngrows into school age versus becoming the most prominent part of the child\u2019s\nlife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mendelsohn suggested that parents ask their\npediatricians for advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPediatricians are there as a resource for\nparents,\u201d he said. \u201cParents should raise these issues with their pediatricians,\nand they\u2019ll enjoy the conversations and guidance they receive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebeca Kuropatwa<\/strong>is a Winnipeg freelance writer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Video Interaction Project coach Jenny Arevalo in action. (photo by Andy Reichsman\/Ames Hill Productions) With the ever-increasing number and variety of screens and gadgets grabbing our attention, pediatricians are asking us to take a step back. Some are even leading a counter-movement, warning parents and caregivers of the harm these technologies are inflicting on children. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8624,6977,7579,1881],"class_list":["post-31343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-alan-mendelsohn","tag-healthcare","tag-parenting","tag-technology"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}