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Screen time refers to the amount of time per day that a child spends looking at or using a device such as the iPad, tablets, smart phones, or television. The American Academy of Pediatrics now has the following recommendations:
"For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they're seeing.
For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect "online and offline."
In order to give your child the best foundation for success at school, it is best to set limits for the amount and type of screen time they access. In the classroom, your child will need to be able to attend to the teacher's voice, follow directions, understand and use vocabulary and grammar, pay attention to verbal and sensory tasks, and socialize with peers. None of these skills can be acquired by the use of technology, but rather, with interactions with other adults and children.
Educational apps, when used independently, have shown no evidence of helping kids develop or transfer academic skills to real life situations. However, these apps used interactively with another child or an adult can help problem solving skills, social interaction, and language. The key is to make technology use interactive rather than passive.
Handheld devices pose more of a risk because they tend to be used on an individual basis, thus reducing the level of language skills and interaction between children and adults. For example, a family may gather around the television to watch an hour-long favorite show, but a child may sit on his own and use an iPad or smartphone for that same hour, and not speak to or interact with anyone during that time.
Recent studies have found that increased screen time is linked to lower brain development in preschoolers which affects language, literacy, and cognitive skills.
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) has a website dedicated to helping parents balance technology usage and healthy communication practices at home.
https://medium.com/asha-communication-and-tech
ASHA study shows that with each 30-minute increase in handheld screen time per day translated into a 49 percent increased risk of expressive speech delay.
https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.RIB1.22082017.16
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