Less screen time means less bad behavior.
Parents can see big improvements in their children’s mental health and behavior by reducing their recreational screen time to three hours a week in just two weeks, a new study finds. Published in JAMA Network Open.
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On average, kids spend 7-8 hours per day in front of screens for entertainment, but when kids significantly cut down on their screen time, their overall behavior and emotional wellbeing improved significantly.
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark analysed data collected from 89 families with 181 children and adolescents aged between 4 and 17 years old.
Half of families were asked to limit their children’s leisure-time screen time to three hours per child per week. Most children spend an average of 7-8 hours a day.
They found improvements in children’s internalizing symptoms (behaviors that are often covert responses to emotions or stress) and prosocial behavior (behaviors intended to benefit others).
Children who changed their habits showed a decrease in behavioral difficulties, moving from the “borderline” to the “normal” category, according to standardized assessments on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.
Avoiding hours of screen time a day helped children process emotions better and improve their social interactions.
Previous research Published in JAMA Pediatrics It has been shown that screen time should be banned for children up until the age of three as it can lead to developmental delays.
Drexel University researchers found that infants and toddlers who are allowed screen time are more likely to exhibit atypical sensory behaviors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The researchers also found that the amount of screen time allowed for babies, and their age, directly affected their development: for every additional hour of screen time per day, the odds of exhibiting sensory problems increased by 23% at 18 months, but dropped to 20% at 24 months.
The only exception is video chat, as the social benefits are more likely to benefit a child’s development.
