Screen Time: Is it Harmful for Developing Brains?
Screen Time.
Ever go shopping and see a young child in the cart mesmerized by the iPad or phone screen that they cradle in their tiny, little hands? The scene is quite peaceful as the parent moves back and forth from the produce selections or grocery shelves to the cart where their child is quietly, contentedly entertained. No conversation between the two.
The parent is happily accomplishing their task without interruption or demands from the child and all is well.
But is this screen time good or bad for infants and toddlers?
Does it matter whether or not grocery shopping (or any errand or task) is accomplished in this manner?
What do child professionals recommend
about the time little children spend in front of screens?
Firstly, the definition of "screen time:"
*Watching television, DVDs or movies.
*Using the internet.
*Playing electronic games on computers, video game consoles (such as PlayStation or Xbox),
tablets (e.g. iPad) or handheld electronic devices (e.g. Nintendo 3DS or smartphones).
The advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is to keep all screens off around babies
and toddlers younger than 18 months. They say a little screen time can be okay for older toddlers,
and children 2 and older should get no more than an hour of screen time per day.
Parents are often shocked at the AAP recommendation because most have already had their infants watch TV or use mobile apps (prior to even 18 months old). Parents state, "My baby LIKES it!" Surveys tell us that 92% of 12-month-olds have already used a mobile device, some starting as young as 4 months old. Television watching typically begins at 9 months of age.
True, little ones may stare at the bright colors and fast motion on screens but their brains are incapable of making sense or meaning out of all those wild images. Apps can teach toddlers to tap and swipe at a screen, but studies tell us that these skills don't translate into real-world learning.
Susan Schwartz, a learning specialist at Friends Seminary and the Child Mind Institute, elaborates: “When children manipulate objects — real life, whole body movement with 3D objects — there is more visual and tactile input to their brain so that they are interacting in a more holistic way. So while they are learning the motions to swipe on a phone or match a picture on an app, they’re not developing that whole body understanding of where they are in space, how they’re interacting with materials.” For parents who are looking for educational activities for toddlers, playing with blocks actually teaches a more valuable and developmentally appropriate lesson.
What infants and toddlers need most to learn is interaction with the people around them.
That doesn't mean they shouldn't video-chat with a grandparent, or a parent deployed in military service, for instance, but when it comes to day-to-day learning they need to...
feel objects,
throw them,
shake them,
listen to them,
even taste them (!),
but most of all see the faces and
hear the voices of those they love.
The skills young children need to learn for success in school (and life) such as...
impulse control,
managing emotions, and
creative, flexible thinking,
are best learned through unstructured and social play with family and friends in the real world.
The problem lies not only with what toddlers are doing while they're watching screens;
it's what they aren't doing.
Specifically, children are programmed to learn from interacting with other people. The dance of facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, and body language between a toddler and parent is not only beautiful, it's so complex that researchers have to record these interactions on video and slow them down just to see everything that's going on. Whenever one party in this dance, child or parent, is attending to a screen, the exchange ceases.
A toddler learns so much more from pulling out plastic containers and pots and pans onto the floor while we cook dinner or do dishes than they do from watching a screen for the same amount of time, because the two look at each other and interact, objects are labelled, affirmation is given, body language is read and interpreted.
Just having the TV on in the background, even if "no one is watching it," is enough to delay language development. Normally a parent speaks about 940 words per hour when a toddler is around. With the television on, that number falls by 770! Instead of 940 words shared across an hour of life with a little one, less than 200 are spoken. Fewer words means less learning.
Sadly, apps and social media are designed to be addictive.
They have a built-in reward system. Digital voices exclaim “Great job!” for completing minute tasks, music plays, lights blink, and the child remains engaged. When the child receives that reward from the screen, it releases a brain chemical, dopamine, and makes them feel good. The problem with that is these children learn to expect the reward and they crave the payoff.
When very small children get hooked on tablets and smartphones, says Dr. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Medicine, they can unintentionally cause permanent damage to their still-developing brains. Too much screen time, he says,
“is the very thing impeding the development of the abilities that parents are so eager to foster through the tablets.
The ability to focus,
to concentrate,
to lend attention,
to sense other people’s attitudes
and communicate with them,
to build a large vocabulary—all those abilities are harmed.”
Between birth and age three, for example, our brains develop quickly and are particularly sensitive to the environment around us. In medical circles this is called "the critical period" because the changes that happen in the brain during these first years become the permanent foundation upon which all later brain function is built. In order for the brain’s neural pathways to develop normally during this time, a child needs specific stimuli from the outside environment and these essential stimuli are not found on today's screens.
When a young child spends too much time in front of a screen and not enough time getting required stimuli from the real world, their development becomes stunted. And if the damage happens during these crucial early years, its results can affect them forever.
Tablets are the ultimate shortcut tools: A smartphone-told story spoon-feeds images, words, and pictures all at once. This is quite unlike a parent reading a story to their child. Rather than having to take the time to process a parent’s voice into words, visualize complete pictures, and exert a mental effort to follow a story line, little ones who follow stories on their screens get lazy. The device does the thinking for them, and as a result, their own cognitive muscles remain weak.
Additional warnings of risk if digital media is overused:
Not enough sleep. Young children with more media exposure or who have a TV, computer, or mobile device in their bedroom sleep less and fall asleep later at night. Even babies can be overstimulated by screens and miss the sleep they need for proper growth.
Delays in learning and social skills. Children who watch too much TV in infancy and preschool years can show delays in attention, thinking, language, and social skills. One of the reasons for the delays could be because they interact less with parents and family. Parents who keep the TV on or focus on their own digital media miss precious opportunities to interact with their children and help them learn.
Obesity. Heavy media use during preschool years is linked to weight gain and increased risk of childhood obesity. Food advertising and snacking while watching TV can promote obesity. Also, children who overuse media are certainly less apt to be active with healthy, physical play.
Behavior problems. Violent content on TV and screens can contribute to behavior problems in children, either because they try to replicate what they view or are scared and confused by what they see.
Mental health diagnoses increase. Rates of depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder increase among children who have excessive screen time from an early age.
SOME GUIDELINES:
For children younger than 2:
*Media use should be very limited and only when an adult is standing by to co-view, talk, and teach.
For instance, video chatting with a parent or relative, while a parent is assisting the child.
For children 18 to 24 months:
*Choose high-quality programming.
*Use media together with your child.
For children 2 to 5 years of age:
*Limit screen use to no more than 1 hour per day.
*Choose media that is interactive, non-violent, educational, and prosocial.
Exposure to high-quality children's educational programs such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood during the preschool years is associated with enhanced cognitive development, language development, and prosocial skills, and has a long-lasting positive impact on school readiness and academic performance
*Co-view with your child.
For all ages:
*Keep bedrooms, mealtimes, and parent-child playtimes screen-free and unplugged for children and parents.
*Avoid exposure to devices or screens ONE HOUR before bedtime.
*Avoid using media as the way to calm your child.
This can lead to problems with a child's own ability with limit-setting and managing emotions.
*Ask your child's doctor or seek professional help, if needed.
Screen Time can be fun for one and all, but be careful how and when and at what age you use it.
Interaction with the real world and real loved ones is FAR more beneficial.
Resources:
Hill, David L. Why to Avoid TV for Infants & Toddlers. Healthychildren.org. Oct. 21, 2016.
Margalit, Liraz. What Screen Time can Really Do to Kids' Brains. Behind Online Behavior. Psychology Today. Apr.17, 2016.
Martinelli, Katherine. Can Screen Time Be Educational For Toddlers? Child Mind Institute.
Morin, Amy. The Harmful Effects of Too Much Screen Time for Kids. Very Well Family. Nov. 3, 2018.
The Negative Impact of Screen Time on Brain Development. Pharmacy Innovations. Dec. 17, 2018.