Some parents allow their child to spend hours on the phone, others forbid them to even look at electronic devices, and others doubt and ask for evidence of the harm or benefit of gadgets. Let's see what the latest research says about this pressing issue.
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Preschoolers shouldn't, but schoolchildren can. What scientists say about the impact of gadgets on children's psyche
Scientists warn that the widespread use of electronic devices by preschoolers, including game consoles, mobile phones and tablets, may be associated with an increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems by age 5.
The study's findings suggest that too much screen time may be linked to hyperactivity, attention, concentration, and peer relationship problems.
Let's look at the specific findings: Screen time at 18 months is associated with a 59% higher risk of peer relationship problems by age 5. And too much screen time at age 5 is associated with an increased risk of attention and concentration problems, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and emotional and behavioral problems.
The results of the study show that five-year-olds spend about two hours a day using electronic devices, which is significantly more time than recommended by professionals.
For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend giving gadgets to children under 18 months, limiting the time children 18 months to 2 years watch cartoons, and allowing children 2 to 5 years to use electronics for one hour a day.
Gadgets will not harm schoolchildren, unless they use several at the same time.
Children grow, and with them, the amount of time they spend on gadgets grows. If at eighteen months it is an average of 32 minutes a day, then by the age of five screen time increases to 114 minutes a day. At eight years old it is already about four and a half hours a day, and by the age of twelve it grows to eight hours.
You may like it or not, but this is our reality. And if we can somehow control younger children and simply not give them gadgets, then with schoolchildren everything is a little more complicated – they often need computers, tablets and smartphones for studying and communicating with friends.
European scientists have found that the main problem is not that schoolchildren sit in front of gadgets almost all the time, but how they do it.
The study was conducted in a public primary school in Switzerland among children aged 8 to 12. Schoolchildren, their parents and teachers answered questions about their children's consumption of media content, attention problems, the quality and quantity of sleep, grades, motivation levels and mental health in general.
So: scientists found virtually no evidence that active consumption of media content somehow affects the mental health problems of schoolchildren. Problems arose only when children tried to use several devices at the same time. Thus, watching TV while communicating with friends on a smartphone can lead to stress, and in some cases, to behavioral or emotional problems.