News

Kids' screen time linked to poorer development later on

All the screen time some toddlers get may not be so good for them in the long run.

Canadian researchers looked at 2,400 children when they were 2 and 3 years old as part of a new study on how screen time affects early childhood development. They found that children who spent a lot of time staring at screens when they are 2 and 3 lagged in development when they were between 3 and 5.

Those who spent much more time staring at the TV, tablets or a computer had lower scores on developmental screenings a few years later. The study warns that kids with more exposure to screens could later run into problems with communication, motor skills, problem-solving, and social skills.

Experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend parents limit their preschool-aged children to just one hour a day of high-quality programming. Screen time should be limited to video chatting for babies and toddlers.

TRENDING NOW:

A 2017 report by Common Sense Media found that children 8 years of age and younger spend more than two hours a day on average with screen media, and the U.S. National Library of Medicine found most children of all ages spend between five and seven hours a day in front of a screen.