Less time in front of electronic devices means less bad behavior. In just two weeks, parents can see significant improvements in their child's mental health and behavior by reducing their children's screen time to just three hours per week, according to a new study published in JAMA Online Open. .
On average, children spend seven to eight hours a day on phones or iPads for entertainment. But when the children's screen time was drastically reduced, they showed significant improvements in overall behavior and emotional well-being.
Researchers from the "University of Southern Denmark" analyzed data collected from 89 families with 181 children and adolescents from 4 to 17 years old.
Half of families were asked to limit their children's free screen time to a maximum of three hours a week per person, a big difference from the average seven to eight hours a day most children spend.
The results revealed that children who reduced the number of hours spent in front of these devices improved behavioral symptoms that are often hidden reactions to emotions and stress. Previous research published in JAMA Pediatrics has shown that children should be banned from screen time until the age of 3, as it can lead to developmental delays.
The researchers also found that the amount of screen time babies were allowed and their age directly affected their development. Each hour of daily screen time increased a child's chance of experiencing sensory problems by 23% at 18 months, and this trend was down to 20% at 24 months.
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Source: New York Post
