Kids under 2-years-old are logging unsafe amounts of screen time

February 23, 2019  19:05

Children under 2-years-old are spending more than double the amount of time looking at screens compared to 20 years ago — and the amount could be harmful to development.

A disturbing new study has found that kids under 2-years-old are spending more than double the amount of time looking at screens compared to 20 years ago.

The report, conducted at the University of Michigan, found that young children in 2014 were having an average of 3.05 hours of daily screen time, compared to 1.32 hours per day in 1997.

And it isn’t even necessarily a result of advancements in technology, with researchers determining that kids spent most of their screen time on TV rather than smart devices like iPhones and tablets.

Alarmingly, the 3.05 hours children now spend in front of a screen each day has also been proven to be harmful.

The findings of the University of Michigan research come just weeks after another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that children having “Excessive screen time is associated with delays in development.”

The study, which saw children log an average of two to three hours each day, linked this screen time to cognitive delays and poorer academic performance in children, People reports.

In addition, The Post has also previously reported that too much screen time for kids could lead to health problems when they become adults.

The review, which was conducted by the World Cancer Research Fund, saw that “sedentary behaviors” like staring at computer screens are contributing factors to excessive weight gain.

“New technologies have encouraged people to increase the time they spend engaging in sedentary behaviors such as sitting in cars and watching television as well as using computers, electronic entertainment and mobile phones,” the report said.

“Insufficient levels of physical activity have been linked to a number of health problems including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, poor bone health and depression.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that screen time for preschool children, ages 2 to 5, should be limited to just 1 hour a day of “high-quality programming.” For children younger than that, screen time should be avoided altogether, other than video chatting.

Source: New York Post

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