Battling Screen Time

In today’s ever changing culture, children are being introduced to screen time younger and younger.  Screen time is defined by Medline Plus (Kaneshiro, N.K., 2011) as any time that is spent in front of a screen, such as television, computer, or video player.  Screen time is a sedentary activity that involves being inactive while sitting down.  Sadly, according to Kaiser Family Foundation (2006), children spend up to 44.5 hours a week on some sort of screen.  This is more than any other activity in their life.  Further, approximately 83% of children under the age of six utilize screen time on a daily basis.  The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use in children under the age of two and recommends limiting screen time in older children to one or two hours a day.

According to the Mayo Clinic (2013), too much screen time has been linked to the following:

     Obesity:  The more television a child watches, the risk of becoming obese increases.  This is due to the sedentary activity and the development of increase appetite for junk food as promoted in television advertisements.

·   Irregular sleep:  Utilizing screen time increases the brain activity, which in turn causes irregular sleeping patterns and fatigue.

·   Behavioral problems:  Children who watch more than two hours of television or using a computer a day are more likely to have social, emotional, and attention problems.  Watching an excessive amount of television at age four has been linked to bullying by the ages six through eleven.

·   Impaired academic performance:  It has been shown that children that watch excessive television or have televisions in their rooms perform worse on tests.

·    Violence:  Children are most generally exposed to various types of violence through television and video games, which then desensitizes them.  As a result, children may accept violent behavior as a normal way to solve problems.

·   Less time for play:  Excessive screen time leaves less time for children’s active creative play.

   With this, it is important to limit screen time and promote a healthy lifestyle during the daily care routine.

   Promoting this in the home environment is just as important in making changes.  

   Listed below are some simple steps to take in limiting children’s exposure to screen time:

·    Eliminate background television:  If you are not actively watching the television, turn it off to prevent children from becoming engaged.

·    Keep screen time devices out of the bedrooms:  Children who have televisions in their room watch more television then others.  It is important that adults monitor children’s use of screen time.

·    Don’t eat in front of the television:  Allowing children to eat in front of the television increases their screen time.  It, also, promotes mindless eating that increases the chances of becoming obese.

·   Provide alternate activities:  Assist children in finding other activities, such as, those that promote physical activity, actively helping with a daily activity, or an activity that promotes creativity.

·   Set a good example:  Model for children a good role model by limiting your own screen time.

Making simple changes, as discussed above, is the first step in reducing the amount of time children are exposed to some type of screen.   Further, it is important to promote and provide alternate activities that promote physical activity as discussed above.  Provided below are alternate activities to promote on a daily basis:

·      Music and movement:  According to Pica (2010), it is impossible to think of movement and music as separate entities.  This is especially evident when watching children respond to music.  It is simply not an auditory sense, but rather, a ‘whole-body’ response.  Simply providing music for children to dance to is a great alternate activity for children.  

·      Utilizing props:  Providing children with various props, such as, scarves, bean bags, and hula-hoops is a great way to promote movement.  Incorporate these particular props with music to add challenge, further engagement and creativity.

·      Obstacle courses:  This type of activity should be supervised closely to promote safety depending on the activities involved.  An obstacle course takes some creativity to design when faced with limited equipment and space, but can be done involving the children for ideas, as well.

·      Nature walks:  Going for a walk to collect natural materials promotes physical activity when limited materials are available. 

Taking small steps is a guaranteed way to battle screen time.  This is especially important when attempting to make changes in the children’s home environment.  Provide activity ideas for children and families is the best way to start.  Further, provide children an opportunity to share the activities they did at home with others in the class.  Getting everyone involved in making changes is the beginning to battling screen time!

Resources: 

Pica, R. (2010).  Experiences movement and music (4^th ed.) Belmont, CA:  Cengage Learning. 

Kaiser Family Foundation (2006).  The media family:  Electronic media in the lives of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents.  Retrieved October 14, 2013, http://kff.org/other/event/study-shows-how-kids-media-use-helps/

Kaneshiro, N.K. (2011).  Screen time and children.  Retrieved October 14, 2013, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm

Mayo Clinic (2013).  Children and TV:  Limiting your child’s screen time.  Retrieved October 14, 2013, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/children-and-tv/MY00522