Should children’s screen time be limited to less than two hours a day?

Should children’s screen time be limited to less than two hours a day? by Samarah

“Children’s Screen time should be limited to two hours a day.” This statement has been heard in different social media platforms, in newspapers and on different news stations. Do you wonder whether devices do any harm to your brain and body or if they are a necessary item for children in 2016.  Too much device time has been linked to behavioural problems, obesity and sleep issues. On the other hand using devices are seen to help people prepare for the future, learn different skills and help communicate with friends and family. On an average day I spend approximately 6-8 hours on a device. Is this too much?

According to Psychologytoday.com too much screen time can damage brain cells, cause shorter attention and lead you to have bad moods. This means that if you use a device for more than two hours you will be short tempered and struggle to maintain attention. This may cause you to lose friends and forget important stuff. On the other hand using computers and phones helps children develop their digital skills and their communication skills. Children need to develop these skills because many jobs and careers rely on being proficient with ICT such as being an accountant, teacher or hotel receptionist.  

Many people argue that too much screen time causes mental illness, depression, anxiety and tension. People can get too involved in games and begin to lose perspective and their grip on reality this causes them to start doing things that they wouldn’t normally do such as getting grumpy at friends and family which can make you feel lonely. On the flip side using a device improves social interaction and language use because you are communicating more often with friends and family (whattoexpect.com). Another good way to communicate with friends and family is by making new friends in reality, and going on different social media platforms like Skype, Facebook and Viber to socialise with friends and family.

It is said that too much screen time can cause ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) this means that you may lack focus in what you’re doing for example if you’re in school and you’re doing a test you won’t be able to give 100% in it, because you might have ADHD this can also lead to behavioural issues. On the bright side screen time helps children gain valuable knowledge needed for their learning eg. Sumdog and Studyladder which allows them to improve on their knowledge on Maths, Reading, Science, Writing and Spelling. Screen time can also help children improve literacy skills such as typing, collaborating on writing tasks or going on different websites like spellosaur.

As you can see from the reasons above there are good things and bad things about children spending less than two hours a day staring at a device. I think that children could be doing other things like going to the park, playing outside, or going to the beach. From now on I will start decreasing the hours I spend on a device.