ISSUES
: The Internet of Things
Chapter 1: Digital issues
19
How much screen time is healthy for
children? Expert tips on screen safety,
education, mental development and
sleep
New research reveals four in five parents believe gadgets aid their child’s development, but
how much screen time is healthy? Guidelines to reduce a child’s screen time for health,
psychological and educational benefits.
By Simon Jary
M
any parents are under the
belief that technology and
gadgets are essential for
a child’s development, but can you
go too far? How much time should
a child spend in front of a screen is
a question being asked not just by
worried parents but psychologists,
health organisations and even
governments. Read an expert’s
guidelines for managing a child’s
screen time, and his warnings on the
dangers of recreational screen time,
especially before bedtime.
A new TLF Panel survey conducted
on behalf of kids clothing retailer
Vertbaudet.co.uk found that four in
five parents believe technology and
gadgets are good for kids, aiding in
their development. The study found
that 37 per cent of parents asked
said that their child spent between
one and two hours a day playing
with tech gadgets, and 28 per cent
said between two and three hours.
Moreover, the study found that 38 per
cent of two- to five-year-olds own an
Android tablet, and 32 per cent own
an iPad; almost a third (32 per cent) of
these kids also have a mobile phone.
The reason behind all this gadget
use: over a third of parents (35 per
cent) said they use tech gadgets to
entertain their children because they
are convenient, and nearly a quarter
(23 per cent) because they want their
children to be tech-savvy. A 2015
survey of 1,000 British mothers of
children aged two to 12 found that
85 per cent of mums admit to using
technology to keep the kids occupied
while they get on with other activities.
The AO.com survey pointed to
children spending on average around
17 hours a week in front of a screen
– almost double the 8.8 weekly hours
spent playing outside.
Wanting our children to be tech-savvy
is understandable, and the need to
keep them entertained will also make
sense to many a parent. But we must
also weigh up the risks associated
with children having too much screen
time.
In his lecture ‘Managing Screen Time
and Screen Dependency’, Dr Aric
Sigman argues that “whether it’s
Facebook, the Internet or computer
games, screen time is no longer
merely a cultural issue about how
children spend their leisure time, nor
is it confined to concern over the
educational value or inappropriate
content – it’s a medical issue”.
Sigman is concerned less with a
child’s ICT or Computer Science
study or use of computers for
homework, but more with their screen
time in non-educational environments
in front of entertainment screen
media such as television, the Internet
and computer games. He has some
strong recommendations for reducing
children’s screen time, from toddlers
to teenagers – and adults, too.
Obviously he is less worried by
educational television programmes
and even some educational computer
games or mobile apps, but still
recommends strictly limiting all screen
time for kids.
TV has been an easy ‘babysitter’
for years now, aided even further
with DVDs, Netflix and so on. But
computer, tablet and mobile screens
Information compiled by We Are Social, visit
Sources: UN, US Census Bureau; ITU; Facebook; G SMA Intlligence.
A snapshot of the United Kingdom’s key digital
statistics indicators
January 2016
Total
population
64.91
million
Figure represents
total national
population,
including children
Active
Internet users
59.47
million
Figure includes
access via
fixed and mobile
connections
Active social
media users
38.00
million
Figure based on
active user
accounts, not
unique individuals
Active mobile
social users
33.00
million
Figure based on
active user
accounts, not
unique individuals
