Influence of Screen Time on Infancy-Toddlerhood and Early Childhood

Influence of Screen Time on Infancy-Toddlerhood and Early Childhood

Growing up, I was exposed to television and could only watch it when I reached the age of 5. My parents were quite strict with watching TV, and therefore, I could only do so on special occasions, mainly when there was a kids’ show which would be roughly 20 minutes. Essentially, I could only watch TV partially with my parents, as it involved news that did not appeal to me.

I would advise the typical US parent to steer their children off prolonged periods on various screens. Today, there are other various devices such as smartphones, televisions, video game consoles, and computers readily available to children. Therefore, parents need to regulate the amount that children spend on various screens, as research shows that one or more hours of screen time can be detrimental to the development of children (Kaur et al., 2019).

Screen time spent on such things as video games can help children develop such skills as spatial reasoning, strategic thinking, visual processing speed, and cooperative skills (Berk, 2020). Computers for academic use can also boost academic performance. However, too much time on entertainment media could reduce school performance, reducing the time spent on reading, homework, and other beneficial school-related content (Berk, 2020). Exposure to excessive screen time exposes young children to a sedentary lifestyle, resulting in non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes (Kaur et al., 2019). The rising rates of childhood obesity can be linked to poor eating habits as well as high inactivity levels among children, and too much screen time only promotes this lifestyle. Furthermore, children’s social skills can be curbed as they might prefer screen time to outside play with peers.

Too much screen time is likely to negatively impact children’s memory, thinking, and language abilities. This is worse for children who spend time on screens immediately before sleep as this prevents proper sleep, which is needed for proper memorization and learning of new information.

References

Berk, L. E. (2020). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (9th Edition). Pearson Education (US).

Kaur, N., Gupta, M., Malhi, P., & Grover, S. (2019). Screen time in under-five children. Indian pediatrics, 56(9), 773-788.

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Unit 5 Journal
The Journal allows you to reflect on or think about various items you will cover in your class. It gives you a private place to write about your own ideas, experiences, or thoughts on a subject so that you may explore it more personally.

Influence of Screen Time on Infancy-Toddlerhood and Early Childhood

Influence of Screen Time in Infancy/Toddlerhood and Early Childhood

Screen time, the amount spent interacting with television, computers, mobile devices, and video games, is a concern for many parents in industrialized nations. “Average screen time increases from 55 minutes per day at 6 months to just under 1 ½ hours per day at age 2” (Berk, 2021, p. 206). The overwhelming majority of young children in the industrialized world (over 90 percent) have access to a television, computer and one or more mobile devices, usually smartphones but also tablets, with access to the Internet (Berk, 2021, p. 342).

In at least 250 words, please respond to the following:

Which screen media were you exposed to growing up, and at what age did you acquire it/them?
What advice would you give the typical U.S. parent about permitting an infant or toddler to watch as much as 1 to 1½ hours of TV or video daily?
What are the pros and cons of young children’s (ages 2–6 years) exposure to screen media (television, computers, mobile devices, and video games)?
How are cognitive skills such as memorization or critical thinking affected by our ability to gather facts at the click of a button?