As we all know, with the advancement of technology and with online learning on the rise, children are exposed to screen time now more than ever. Every other child has access to some form of screen time, whether it is from handphones, laptops or television screens.
In this episode of AskMeDoctor! we have Dr. Hew Khor Farn, a paediatrician at Columbia Asia Hospital – Cheras to talk about screen time and our growing children.
Q1: How does prolonged screen time affect children?
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: As you mentioned, we are now living in the digital era, and everybody has access to digital devices whether it is television or laptop or even mobile phone. I think everything has its own pros and cons, the benefits and the drawbacks.
When we talk about screen time, I think it is not only for children but also adults; sometimes they are too engrossed with the screen and it is also not good for their health.
As for children, I can list down a few of the common or the important ones. One of them is as our society gets more aggressive, they will eat more and one of the problems is obesity. All these are negative effects from improper planning or if you do not restrict their screen time, then some children might have this problem.
Q2: How much screen time is too much?
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: For us, we always follow per the expert’s recommendation. We follow what AAP has mentioned.
AAP is the American Association of Pediatrics and we also follow the American Psychological Association (APA).
“Their recommendation is if you want to start letting your children have screen time, the recommended age is 18 months and above.”
So, from 18 months and above, you can introduce a limited screen time up to two years old. For example, if you watch some educational programmes with your child, let’s say half an hour per day but you must be with your child.
- Up to 2 years old = limit to only educational programmes
You cannot let your child be alone. Your phone is not a babysitter, you cannot let your child have your phone and they just do whatever they want. So, up to two years old, you have to limit them to only educational programmes. It also depends on their level of thinking and maturity.
- 5 years old and above = timing their screen time
And from five years old onwards, you probably can let them have more screen time. For example, maybe one hour on weekdays and two hours on weekends. But you must always know what they are watching and looking at, who are they interacting with.
You must always keep cyberbullying in mind. It is one of the problems that may happen. They are like sponges and of course, they will learn.
It is a way of learning but what are they learning? What programmes are they watching? So, it is important for you to know and plan ahead on what programmes you want to let them view. Of course, you probably have to use parental control. For example, to filter off those inappropriate programmes from them.
Anything they watch, they can just absorb. Without any processing or without filtering what is good and what is bad. They learn everything from adults, from us. They learn everything from what they have seen. They will learn and remember fast but they can’t differentiate if this is good or bad, if this is okay or not okay. The limitations and restrictions are very important.
Q3: How does exposing children to the use of social media from a young age affect them?
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: I think it also depends on the level of maturity of the child. How do they think? Are they mature enough to have access to social media? But, generally, it is good; it allows you to have connections.
Especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, you have connections with your friends, with your classmates, even with your teachers. And also, it is very important if let’s say, one of the parents is working outstation, because of the movement restrictions, you can’t meet them often. Then, it is another good way of interacting and chatting with them.
But on the other hand, Facebook, Instagram; these social media, there are no restrictions, you can get any information – whether it is good or bad, useful or not useful, if it is true or false, you can get anything. So, as I mentioned earlier, I don’t think children should not have their own Facebook or Instagram account at the below certain age.
To me, they definitely should not have it before they enter secondary school. At that time when they are teenagers, they are probably more mature, and you can probably let them have their own account.
Q4: What other approaches can we use on children to better help with their development?
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: Probably 20 to 30 years ago, when you and I were still young children, we did not have all these gadgets.
So we went out and played, we played with other children, we mixed with other children, we learned from each other, but now, a lot of children tend to stay at home. Especially, during this pandemic for the last one and a half years, they do online classes; all of them are staying at home.
They do not expose themselves to the people outside. There is not so much social interaction. I think, we as adults; have to set a good example. We should allow our children to learn good things, so we should set a good example.
- Eating together
For example, when you eat, you all should sit together at the table and eat together. When we are eating, we enjoy our meal. We do not turn on the television, your phones should be switched off, that kind of thing.
- Sleeping time
And also, sleep. The blue lights from the screen can affect your brain and sleep as well. Some experts say to not have any screen time from one to two hours before you sleep. Better to just go to bed and talk to your children, tell them stories, and catch-up on things with them.
So the key here is social interactions – for parents to provide as much social interaction with their children and plan other activities. If let’s say we can go travelling, probably go to the seaside, go for a picnic or some outdoor activities, rather than staying at home.
Q5: With online learning on the rise, what can we do as parents to find balance in the use of screen time?
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: I think if they do online learning, it’s because there’s no choice as we are all staying at home. We can’t go to school – so one of the ways is online learning. Of course, a lot of children when they go online, I would say probably more than half of them can’t really concentrate on the screen.
Unless those programmes are their favourite characters, favourite stories – as compared to schoolwork. So, I think, the school has their own programme – let say 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon – that’s it for one whole day. Then you can probably let your children have an extra hour, depending on their age.
Probably you can bring them out for some outdoor activities or play some games outside. It is really important to let them get some sunlight. A lot of times we are sitting inside the room where we have no exposure to sunlight. So a lot of people, especially children, are lacking in vitamin D because you do not get enough vitamin D from our food.
So experts encourage us to go for some outdoor activities and get some sun exposure. Just a couple of minutes should be good enough. Of course, you don’t go in a group because we are still in the pandemic.
Words of Advice from Dr Hew
Dr. Hew Khor Farn: Another important thing that I would like to mention is, because the children are on the screen all the time, be it your gadget or computer screens – you must always take care of your eyes. Your eyes, your vision are very important. And a lot of children, especially those who join online classes for many hours a day, easily get tired eyes.
This term is called ‘Digital Eye Strain’ or ‘Computer Vision Syndrome’.
Their eyes are focusing in a near vision for so long so their eyes get tired, so it causes a lot of eye problems. Sometimes it can even cause short-sightedness. However, as there is no way to run away from the screen because of the online classes and learning.
You must remember the ‘20-20-20 rule’ meaning after every 20 minutes, you take a break of 20 seconds by looking far away, 20 feet away. So you can relax your eye muscles.
The distance between your eyes and the screen is too close. Your eyes try to accommodate to the vision, your eye muscle will get strained and tired, and this can cause a lot of problems. Not only eyes problem but it can cause headaches and sometimes it can even cause behavioural problems.
It is crucial that your children have enough nutrition while they are on the screen. You may supplement them with the right nutrition, such as a glass of Enfagrow A+ Mindpro.
Enfagrow A+ MindPro
Did you know that Enfagrow A+ MindPro formulation is enriched with MFGM? This MFGM has been found to have a protective effect against gastrointestinal infections. Moreover, MFGM acts synergistically in combination with DHA to provide dual benefits in promoting the brain cell connections of a child and this is the highest level of DHA that helps to meet expert-recommended daily DHA intake.
For more information, feel free to visit the Enfagrow A+ official page today! And if you can’t get enough of the sharing by our experts, make sure to stay tuned for our next episode of AskMeDoctor!.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
For more insightful stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!