Children Aged 0 To 2 Years Should Not Be Exposed To Screen: Report

In today’s era, most of the work is completed through digital mediums due to which the usage of devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops has increased excessively. It has resulted in the increased screen time of the individuals. From adults to children, each generation spends hours using cell phones. It can harm your eyesight and health. According to the report of the American Academy of Pediatrics, children between 0 and 2 years should not be exposed to screens. As per the report, a little screen time is not considered safe at this age.

As per the report, the screen time of children between 2 and 12 years should be a maximum of one hour a day. Whereas people above 12 years of age should not watch screens for more than two hours a day. The limit of screen time in a day has been prescribed for two hours for adults as well. Due to work, the screen timing of many people may increase, but efforts should be made to minimise it.

Experts believe that screen time can help children learn new things, develop creativity and make social connections, but too much screen time can harm their physical health. Due to excessive screen time, most children do not get enough sleep and their eating habits also start getting affected. Many children eat more while watching the screen, while others don’t eat properly due to excess screen time. Watching advertisements for junk foods on the Internet can increase children’s desire to eat too.

Many studies show that a child’s ability to get enough sleep is affected by the time spent on screens. All people need to get enough sleep to maintain hormonal balance. Due to less sleep, the balance of ghrelin and leptin hormones that control our appetite starts deteriorating resulting in increased hunger. In many cases, this causes children to become aggressive. Children who spend more time watching screens indoors stop going out and are less physically active.

Many researchers have said that for better health, children should do at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. For this, parents should take children to the park every day and motivate them for physical activity.