Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / What Research is Showing About Too Much Screen for Young Children

Transcript

What Research is Showing About Too Much Screen for Young Children · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of 5-Minute Parenting.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm going to share some research that is telling us about screen time in our kids' brains.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not sharing this to make us moms feel bad about letting our kids watch TV even as babies.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: When my daughter used to wake up at 4:30 or 5 a.m., I'd put on a recorded episode of Sesame Street, and we'd both lay on the sofa, me trying to wake up for the day.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So no guilt.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm interested in research as a parent and a former teacher about screen time and how it affects our kids' brains.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: The study I recently read was also on Fox News, and it talks about babies and children exposed to screen time at a very young age.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: That means TV or other screens, and the fact that it's causing a lot of sensory issues later in life.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The report is kind of laying the groundwork as to why we parents need to limit our screen time.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: And although it's technical, like I said, next week I'll be sharing some practical helps for parents.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Signs your child is getting too much screen time.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: The title of the article I read, Sensory Differences in Toddlerhood.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Early access by kids to screens is associated with atypical sensory processing, according to a just published study from Drexel University.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: I will put the link to that article in the show notes.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: So allowing very young children to access television and other screens could lead to sensory challenges for them later in childhood, according to this new study.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Screen exposure among very young children has previously been linked to autism, ADHD, language delays, and other brain differences.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: But this study adds, quote, atypical sensory processing quote to the list of other developmental outcomes.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, infants do not have the capacity to fully understand what they see on TV or video, but the lights, the colors, the sounds, and the movement experienced during screen time would have an impact on how the neurons in the brain connect, potentially affecting sensory processing pathways and sensory-related behavior.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Atypical sensory processing is commonly seen in several behavior health problems, including children with ADHD and up to 90% of children with autism.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: The behavioral differences cited in the study are sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, sensory sensitivity, and low registration.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: A child who is sensory seeking, for example, may be attracted to spinning or shining objects.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: This might be an ADH child.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Those with low registration issues would typically avoid eye contact and may not respond in a timely manner to being called or to familiar voices.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Children exposed to any amount of screen time at the age of 12 months were found to have 105% greater likelihood of exhibiting high sensory behaviors.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: There's also emerging evidence that markedly reducing screen time and increasing engaging, socially engaging activities in young children is associated with the reduction of autism-related symptoms, including sensory-related symptoms of restricted repetitive behaviors.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, what's a healthy amount of daily screen time for our kids?
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outlines specific guidelines for each group on its website.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: For babies up to 18 months, it recommends limiting screen time use to video chatting with an adult.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Between 18 and 24 months, its guidelines are to use screens only for educational program.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: For kids between 2 and 5 years old, the organization recommends a limit of 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on weekends for any non-educational screen time.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: It does not specifically show an hour limit for ages 6 and older, but does recommend encouraging healthy habits and limiting screen-based activities.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages any use of media for children younger than two.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: For kids ages two years and older, the organization recommends capping screen time at two hours per day.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the study that caught my attention.