How Much Screen Time is Too Much? Advice from a Childcare Provider
Sometimes as a parent, you just need a break. It seems like handing them your phone or giving them time on their electronic devices is great for this because it distracts them enough that you can finally get a few uninterrupted minutes of peace and quiet over a cup of hot coffee in your Niceville home. This is great, and if it works for you, even better.
However, there is such a thing as technology overload when your children have too much screen time. If you think that your child is getting too much, it’s important to find them some developmental or educational toys that can stimulate their brain in a more healthy manner.
Here, we go over coping with technology overload and limiting screen time for kids, including why too much screen time is so dangerous.
How to Know They Have Had Too Much
For children under two, any amount of screen time can be too much. This doesn’t include video chatting with family, but does include watching tv or playing on a tablet, because they aren’t benefiting from the act. In their first few years, they are discovering the world and finding their place in it. Having too much screen time can hurt more than it can help their mental development.
As children get older, it can be okay to incorporate a little more screen time without stunting their developmental growth. For children three to five, an hour of screen time is okay. Children aged five through seventeen should have their screen time capped at two hours.
Limiting the use of technology for you and your children can help to ensure that they develop to their fullest potential. It can also help to offset any other possible issues that stem from parents who might spend a little too much time on their phones.
What Happens When Children Get Too Much Screen Time?
When children are allowed to spend an exorbitant amount of time on their electronic devices, you will notice a change in their behaviors. It can affect their learning in both a developmental and educational aspect. The blue light that a screen emits can cause them to have trouble sleeping.
Dependence on a tablet or television can stunt their development and prevent them from having interests off the screen. It can limit their imagination and cause them to focus solely on the digital aspect.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests that the potential media exposure to violence can affect their brain and cause them to become desensitized to violence. This exposure can later affect how they deal with violent or dangerous behaviors.
Not only does too much screen time affect children mentally, but it can also cause the thinning of the brain’s cortex which usually refers to aging and memory loss. Thankfully, this isn’t irreversible.
Dealing with Technology Overload from a Niceville Licensed Childcare Provider
With the modern advances in technology, it seems as though technology and children go together. As human beings in the 21st century, our children’s lives will eventually lead to using technology daily. It’s important to limit the use of technology while they are children to avoid this technology overload.
Contact Grow With Us Learning Academy today for more advice from a Niceville Licensed Childcare Provider. We’d be happy to answer any questions that you may have about your child’s early development.