Is Your Child Watching Too Much TV

How many hours a day does your child spend in front of a screen? A recent study found that children spend an average of 2 to 7 hours a day in front of screens. This includes working on a computer, watching TV or playing video games.

These figures aren’t unusual. We’re surrounded by screens as they are part of our everyday lives. We use them for work, play and communication. So if they are such a major part of our lives, why should we be concerned about our children being glued to them?

Screen time and child development:- This is a particularly touchy subject. There are many arguments for both sides of the screen time debate. However, the hard truth is that no scientific study has been conclusive in this matter. The recent study by the psychologists from the University of Calgary is the only study so far that comes close.

The results of this study showed that there is a correlation between greater screen time for children aged 24 months and poorer performance in development at 36 months. The tests further showed that there is a correlation between greater screen time at 36 months (3 years) and poor performance in development at 60 months (5 years).

However, the study still can’t be considered conclusive as there were various limitations in the study. These include the fact that a lot of the data collected was sourced through self-reporting by the mothers of the children included in the study. It should also be noted that the devices used have evolved over time. This influenced the results.

There is also the argument that the study only provides a correlation between two things, i.e., screen time and poor performance in developmental tests. However, it doesn’t show that one is caused by the other.