Screen time is the amount of time that someone spends using a device. It includes playing games – on a smartphone or games console –, streaming video content or TV shows, browsing the internet, doing homework online or engaging in any activities while using a screen.
Benefits of screen time:
- Online games and activities can enhance teamwork and creativity.
- The internet gives children access to a wealth of information to help build their knowledge.
- Interacting with computers can improve visual intelligence and hand-eye coordination.
- Technology takes away physical barriers to social connections, which can support children who struggle to make friends or communicate offline.
- Children in households with computers perform better academically than peers who do not have ready access to computers.
- Sleep cycles are affected by blue light from screens, tricking our brain into thinking it is still daylight, making it difficult to sleep.
- Too much passive screen time could weaken communication and social skills.
- Some research found that children who spent more than two hours a day on screen-time activities scored lower on language and thinking tests.
- Screen-based entertainment increases central nervous system arousal, which can amplify anxiety.
- Using devices while sitting in one place reduces physical activity needed for a healthy lifestyle. Screen time has been shown in research to be a contributing factor in childhood obesity.