Less Screen Time Has Multiple Benefits to Kids, Study Finds

Amy Taylor April 02, 2014

Children who spend less time in front of their computer sleep more, perform better at school, behave better and experience many other health benefits. That’s according to a new study published recently in the JAMA Paediatrics journal.

Researchers from Iowa State University found that kids may benefit from limiting the amount of time they spend in front of the computer. Dr Douglas Gentile, lead author and an associate professor of psychology said the beneficial effect is not immediate and that makes it difficult for parents to recognise

As a result, parents may think it is not worth the effort to monitor and limit their children’s media use. But Gentile says they have more power than they realise.

For the study, the researchers analysed the media habits of 1, 300 school children who were recruited to participate in an obesity prevention programme. Students and parents were surveyed about everything from screen time limits, to violent media exposure, to bedtimes, and behaviour. Teachers reported grades and commented on student behaviour, and school nurses measured each student’s height and weight. Data were collected at the beginning of the study and 7 months after.

“When parents are involved it has a powerful protective effect across a wide range of different areas that they probably never would have expected to see,” Gentile said.

“However, parents aren’t likely to notice that putting limits on the children’s media is having these effects seven months later.”

“Considering that children average more than 40 hours of screen time a week, not counting time spent on a computer at school, even small changes can make a difference,” researchers said. They are not suggesting parents completely eliminate screen time, but find a healthy balance.

Gentile explained that the benefits may not be seen right away. “As parents, we don’t even see our children get taller and that’s a really noticeable effect. With media, what we’re often looking for is the absence of a problem, such as a child not gaining weight, making it even more difficult to notice,” Gentile said.

“Even with changes that we do notice, we really don’t recognize in the moment how all these things are related to each other across time,” he added.

“Yes, as screen time goes up, school performance goes down, but that doesn’t happen overnight. If I watch a lot of TV today, I don’t get an F in my class tomorrow.”

“The American Association of Paediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of screen time a day for children two years and older. Reality far exceeds those recommendations, which might explain why doctors feel it is futile to talk with parents about guidelines for media use,” Gentile said.

Researchers recommend doctors talk with parents about setting limits and actively monitoring media use. This can include talking with children about media content, explaining the purpose of various media, and providing overall guidance.

Source of this article:

Multiple Benefits May Accrue From Limiting Kids’ Screen Time