SWITCHING the TV on or giving your phone to your kid just to have 15 minutes of peace is the daily reality for many families.
But a recent study found that some kids in the UK spend a whopping five hours glued to the telly, BBC reported earlier this year – and the consequences are shocking.
Excessive screentime, scientists warned, increases the risk of a heart attack, as well as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance among youngstersCredit: Getty
Children with the highest screen time reportedly could say significantly fewer words than those at the other end of the scale who watched for around 44 minutes.
the average child is spending a whopping 45 hours a week stuck indoors – with more than a third of that time staring at screens.
A quarter of 2,000 parents said their kids show zero interest in while indoor habits are dominated by passive pastimes like watching TV (59 per cent), gaming (54 per cent), and scrolling on phones (41 per cent).
Excessive screentime, , increases the risk of a heart attack, as well as , and insulin resistance among youngsters.
Now, one expert has listed six tell-tale signs your kid is spending too much time watching – and how to tackle the issue without banning telly altogether.
Elodie M., author of Dad So Tired! and a father himself, took to TikTok to help fellow parents and revealed how too much screentime affects a child’s nervous system and other aspects.
“When screen becomes too much, the body speaks,” he said in a recent video .
According to the writer, “kids’ brains aren’t built to handle fast, nonstop stimulation” – and soon, you’ll start to notice the signs, including a sudden change in their mood.
“They get irritable the second you turn it off. They aren’t a – their nervous system can’t slow down,” said Elodie who posts under the username @ dad.so.tired.books .
Additionally, you might also have to deal with “sudden anger explosions”.
“Their brain is overloaded. Emotions spill over.”
Too much time spent glued to the screens, whether that’s TV or an , can also result in a shorter attention span when it comes to reading and other activities.
According to the author, kids who are addicted to TV “can’t focus on simple games” as “after all that speed, slow play feels like ‘nothing”’.
Children and teens are also likely to suffer from poor sleep if they spend hours and hours watching TV – and this can have a devastating impact on their and more.
Kids who fail to get enough nighttime rest perform worse in school and have poorer , .
Elodie shared his observations, explaining: “Their mind is still racing, even when everything is off.”
Has your child been shouting the name “again” recently? The author revealed how this common phrase might also be linked to too much screentime in kids.
“It’s not an addiction – it’s stimulus-seeking,” he said in the video that’s racked up more than 318k views in just one day.
Elodie also revealed that “meltdowns” could also be another warning sign parents should be worried about – especially if the tantrums have become “worse” recently.
According to him, the constant tears and yelling is a result of “a tired brain” that struggles to handle frustration.
But while many parents may immediately resort to banning TV altogether, the guru revealed this wasn’t the answer – and instead, you should reduce the time spent in front of TV and balance it out with other activities, such as “real play” and movement.
How long should kids be on screens?
Dr Amanda, who's a parenting expert and child psychologist gave a general guide for parents who wish to limit screen time.
Age 1-3 years old
How long: 5 minutes per year of life in one sitting
Dr Gummer says: “If you are really hoping your child will learn from the screen time they have then one rule of thumb is that on average children can concentrate for 5 minutes per year of their life (i.e. 15 minutes at age 3).”
Age 1+
How long: 1 hour per day
Dr Gummer says: “For younger children we feel that around 1 hour per day is a sensible limit to aim for on a regular weekday.
“Once you add together time on mobile devices, TV, computers and other devices with screens this may not seem like much (and remember children may get screen time at school).”
Age 2+
How long: 2 hour per day
Dr Gummer says: “Various sources including the American Academy of Paediatrics recommend no more than 2 hours per day (for children aged 2 and over).”
Children of all ages
Over two hours a day is excessive usage
Dr Gummer says: “A recent study saw some detrimental effects in teenagers that used more than 3 hours per day of screen time and consider this ‘excessive usage’
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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