Indian parents, BEWARE! Is your child spending over 2.5 hours on phones, computers, TV screens daily? That's…
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Even children aged below two are spending an average of 1.2 hours on screens, whereas this age is supposed to be completely without screens.
Mobile phone addiction: Indian parents, are you monitoring how much time your child spends on mobile phones, TV screens and computers daily? If it is more than two hours, it is double the recommended limit per day. This is the shocking claim made in a recent study, which found that even children aged below two are spending an average of 1.2 hours on screens, at an age that is supposed to be completely without screens.
Why are children spending more time on TV and mobiles? How it starts way too early
It starts quite early. Parents are now using mobile phones as pacifiers for children. It is not uncommon to see them switching on their mobile phones and handing them over to children, even babies, to stop them from crying. Many parents play the lullabies and nursery songs on YouTube and other apps to keep their child busy and engaged while they go about their chores. It is having a detrimental effect on the children.
What does the shocking study say about Indian children's screen time?
The new study was conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Raipur. It concluded that kids aged below five in India are spending an average of 2.2 hours on screens, every day. This is double the recommended limit, said the study by Ashish Khobragade and M Swathi Shenoy of AIIMS Raipur.
For children under two, the mean screen time is 1.2 hours, as per the study published in Cureus.
For that age, most guidelines say that screentime should be completely avoided.
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Screentime can slow language development, says study on Indian children
The study linked excessive screen exposure to a slowdown in language development, and decreased cognitive function.
Poor social skills, obesity, disturbed sleep, and concentration problems are other side effects, said the research, which reached its conclusions based on a meta-analysis of 10 studies involving 2,857 children.
Tech-free zones, screen time limits, and offline interactions needed
Among the suggestions made in the study are ‘tech-free zones’ and consistent screen time limits. It also recommended more offline interactions, which in plain terms means playing with other kids and spending time with parents and family members.
Nearly 60-70 per cent of children under five years are spending more time on screen than recommended, Dr DK Gupta of Felix Hospitals told the Times of India newspaper in a report on the study.Gupta warned that excessive screentime could lead to "serious physical and behavioural problems."
Lead by example: Parents should reduce their own screentime
The main issue here is that parents these days use a lot of screen time, either for work or recreation. It is only natural for the child to be attracted to mobile phones and want to play, considering them as toys. Once hooked, it is really difficult to wean them off.
Dr Gupta told ToI that parents should become role models and reduce their own screen time at home first.
In the north indian city of Ghaziabad, a chief medical officer issued an advisory urging parents to engage kids in outdoor and social activities to counter mobile addiction."I get children as young as 10- to 12-year-olds... complaining about restlessness" when screen use is limited, often showing aggressive behaviour," the ToI reported a doctor as saying.
