What ought to be the best display screen time for youngsters? Specialists reply

Social media use in youngsters can have profound threat of hurt to the psychological well being and well-being of youngsters and adolescents, stated US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy in a brand new advisory urging dad and mom, policymakers and know-how corporations to handle the rising psychological well being disaster. Use of social media for over three hours a day can increase threat of depression and anxiousness. Excess social media use can be associated to poor sleep high quality in youngsters which may additional influence their psychological well being. Health specialists in an interview with HT Digital speak about dangerous results of social media and likewise recommend excellent display screen time for youngsters. (Also learn: Social media poses profound risk to teenagers’ mental health, says US Surgeon General in advisory)

GIRLS CAN SUFFER FROM BODY IMAGE ISSUES

“Kids who tend to have a lot of screen time and use social media without any regulation can encounter mental health issues. These kids watch violent or disturbing content that can take a toll on their mental well-being. This can be a matter of concern as the kids can get stressed, anxious, depressed, violent, frustrated, and feel lonely as well. Apart from that, some girls will also have issues such as poor self-esteem, body image issues and can suffer from eating disorders when they try to look like or imitate a certain celebrity they like. There are many kids who are glued to smartphones 24/7. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the child doesn’t exceed the given screen time to them. Screen time for around 1 hour per day is ideal for children under parental guidance. It is a good idea to ensure that the child watches educative content instead of gore or sexual content,” says Dr Jagdish Kathwate, Consultant Neonatologist & Pediatrician, Motherhood Hospital, Pune.

A FEW MINUTES OF SCREEN TIME EVERY DAY CAN HELP

“We suggest giving a few minutes of screen time everyday rather than binge watching over the weekends. Kids have access to the screen and constantly crave for screen time so even if parents try to restrict, they may watch the screen behind their back. But when you allow some amount of screen time instead of setting strict boundaries around it, it just gives the message to the child that they are not getting deprived of screen and hence it may reduce the cravings for it,” says Dr Sachi Pandya, Consultant – Paediatric Psychology, NH SRCC Children’s, Hospital Mumbai.

RISKS OF CYBER BULLYING, DEPRESSION, SLEEP DEFICIT

“Social Media has its personal professionals and cons for youngsters. The medium has helped children be extra artistic and it offers higher entry to world occasions and present affairs. Kids have a greater likelihood on digital networking however social media publicity also can have detrimental impact on well being due to overuse. Due to spending an excessive amount of time of social media, they’re much less related to actual world actions which may result in melancholy, anxiousness points, physique picture points, fixed want for exterior validation, peer strain, and cyber bullying. This also can result in interrupted sleep or insufficient or disturbed sleep. When children are glued to social media websites on a regular basis, they’re much less lively which can result in a number of well being points, says Dr Shreya Dubey – Consultant – Neonatology & Paediatrics, CK Birla Hospital Gurugram.

IDEAL SCREEN TIME FOR KIDS

Dr Dubey suggests the next display screen time for teenagers throughout completely different age teams:

• For children lower than two years previous display screen time ought to be zero apart from video chatting.
• For children between 2 to five years of age one hour of supervised display screen time is okay.
• For kids who’re greater than 5 years and for youngsters, 2 hours of leisure display screen time per day is sufficient.