Topic > Negative Effects of Screen Time on Children's Development

The amount of time children spend in front of screens (e.g., televisions, computers, iPads, and phones) has become a concern for many parents and working people with children, such as teachers. There has been controversy as to whether excessive screen use has any negative effects or perhaps has certain benefits. Guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that children under the age of two should not be exposed to screens and that children between the ages of two and five should spend no more than one hour a day on the use of digital media. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Another question that may linger in parents' minds is whether information readily available on the Internet is consistent with scientific research papers. An easily accessible online source, WebMD, supports the information provided with reference to the research. This site claims that an excessive amount of time spent using screens (e.g., two hours or more) is associated with a decrease in a child's cognitive reasoning and ability to concentrate. It is hypothesized that the decreased ability to concentrate is due to advertisements that interrupt screen time or that constantly switch between different online games. Spending less than two hours a day on digital media, doing at least one hour of physical activity, and sleeping between nine and eleven hours were correlated with children having the highest cognitive functioning. However, this website did not show whether it was the decrease in screen time or the increase in physical activity and sleep that actually contributed to the improved cognitive functioning. Another online article from Very Well Family, written by clinical social worker Amy Morrin ( 2018 ), cites similar findings to those on the previous site. The claims made in this article are also supported by research. Obesity, sleep problems, behavioral problems, decreased academic scores, and aggression have been shown to correlate with increased screen use (Morrin, 2018). The cause of the increased risk of obesity has been associated with sedentary behavior resulting from the use of digital media. Excessive screen use is also argued to cause emotional instability and perhaps an increase in bullying behavior. Children who spend a lot of time in front of screens, especially those who have a television in their room, have lower academic achievement scores than children who spend less time in front of screens. Finally, aggressive behavior has been indicated to increase in children who spend an excessive amount of time on screens, potentially due to imitation of violent behaviors they witness on digital media (Morrin, 2018). This article does not specify what constitutes "excessive" or "too much" screen time, so parents reading this article would have difficulty determining how much they should limit their children's exposure to screens. A scientific article by Sophie Domingues-Montanari (2017) is similar to information easily found on online sites. This article demonstrated that excessive screen use (relative to AAP guidelines) was linked to decreased physical strength, increased obesity, decreased sleep, and decreased cognitive functioning and emotional stability. The reasons given in this document why some children 13%.