Excessive screen time is increasingly recognized as potentially harmful to the health and development of young children. As digital devices become more integral to daily life, it is crucial to understand the impacts on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development for future generations..
Early Development and Screen Exposure
One study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that children as early as 12 months were exposing themselves to an average amount of screen time of 53 minutes a day. This increased with age, reaching over 150 minutes by age 3. In most children, the habit of screens starts very early in their lives. By about age 7 or 8, the number of hours generally decreases due to engagement in school-related activities. Whereas screen time habits developed early in life may set the course for long-lasting patterns, early interventions to reduce screen time could be more effective in ensuring healthy developmental habits.
Guidelines on Sedentary Screen Time
Infants under 1 year of age, screen time is not recommended. Instead, it is suggested that periods of inactivity may be used for reading and storytelling with a caregiver. For children in their first and second year of life, screen time is not recommended, except for 1 hour for those who have reached the age of 2 years. For the age group 3-4 years, the advice goes as follows: only a maximum period of 1 hour is allowed in front of the screen, and interactive play – such as reading – is preferred.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), screen time for children under the age of 5 should be limited to enhance health outcomes. The WHO’s guidelines suggest no screen time for infants under 1 year of age and a maximum of 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 4 years. Instead, they encourage interactive activities such as reading, storytelling, and physical play.
Impact on Adiposity and Motor Development
The evidence indicates that sedentary screen time is inversely associated with diverse health indicators. Longer screen time is significantly associated with higher adiposity levels, delayed cognitive development, poor motor development, and unfavorable psychosocial health. The overall quality of evidence for screen time’s influence on adiposity, motor and cognitive development, and psychosocial health is considered very‐low to moderate.
Cognitive, Behavioral, and Physical Health Risks
Another finding of research is that in children, high screen time is also associated with cognitive or behavioral problems, particularly in those born extremely preterm. In fact, children with more than two hours of exposure to screens daily scored lower on overall IQ, executive functioning, impulse control, and attention compared to their peers. These findings suggest that this group requires special attention with regard to limiting exposure to screens, since excessive screen exposure may amplify cognitive and behavioral difficulties.
More generally, MedlinePlus recommends screen time be limited to 1 to 2 hours daily for children over age 2 due to the many adverse outcomes that have been associated with excess screen time: sleep problems, risk of obesity, and attention problems. Furthermore, advertisements on digital media can influence children’s eating habits in unhealthy ways, contributing to weight gain in children who snack while watching television or using the computer.
Effect on Sleep and Emotional Regulation
The decreased sleep time, connected to increased screen time, also predicts higher adiposity, lower emotional regulation, and restricted growth, along with increasing vulnerability to injuries. It is not strongly related to the cognitive-motor development but gives a negative effect on emotional health. Adequate sleep makes a critical contribution to cognitive and emotional regulation and reduces the risk of unhealthy weight gain, generally contributing to well-being.
Role of Physical Activity
For children under 5 years of age, physical activity throughout the day should balance out time spent in being sedentary, such as in screen time. Physical activity of any intensity is encouraged, and for children aged 3-4 years, at least 60 minutes should be of moderate- to vigorous-intensity. Improved motor development, improved fitness, and healthier body composition are seen when replacing sedentary screen time with physical activity.
Balanced Approach and Recommendations
With the advancement of modern times, screen time has become a societal reality; however, in bringing a good balance that includes ample physical activity along with reduced sedentary behavior and adequate sleep, children’s health can be greatly improved. The World Health Organization recommended integrating all these behaviors for optimum health benefits in young children, with an emphasis on meeting recommendations across all domains: physical activity, screen time, and sleep.
Caregivers are, therefore encouraged to establish environments that offer activities that are interactive, limitation of screen-based entertainment, and engagement in physical activities as a means of encouraging healthier development in children. With the setting of healthy habits from early childhood, the adverse impacts of screen time on future generations are minimized hence, improved physical and psychosocial life-long health and well-being.
Conclusion
Increasing screen time in young children is leading to health and development challenges regarding their levels of physical activity, sleep quality, and overall health. As screens become a given in today’s life, caregivers and policy makers face the unpleasant duty of guiding healthier habits through a more systematized set of guidelines, favoring active play, quality sleep, and restricted use of screens for better future outcomes.
