A weld health manager explains why too much screen time can hurt social, emotional and physical development

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated in its guide that the amount of time a child has to watch a screen, be it a TV, a computer, a tablet or of a phone, can have a lifelong impact on the child's health.

County of Weld officials have been working to raise awareness of the health risks of over-use of screens, sharing social media posts about the screen-less week from Monday to May 5th.

The Campaign for an Advertising-Free Childhood in Boston organizes a Screenless Week each year, which began in 1994 as TV Turnoff Week. The event challenges families, schools and communities around the world to set their entertainment screens for the week (which means that school and work can continue without interruption), preferring to take advantage of life beyond the screens funded by advertising.

Mike Schwan, a dietitian and certified obesity specialist working for the county, said monitoring the time spent in front of a screen on a child was critical to healthy development.

"When adults offer children many opportunities to be physically active and develop their motor skills, they are more likely to be physically in adulthood and develop healthy lifestyle habits." for life, "said Schwan. "When kids are watching screens, they are less physically active. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for death and is associated with higher rates of obesity. "

According to Nielsen's first quarter 2018 total audience report, the most recent data available, the average US resident spends more than nine hours a day on media consumption, not counting radio. With eight hours of sleep, this means that most Americans spend more than half of their waking hours interacting with screens.

On April 24, the World Health Organization released its first guide on screen use for children, recommending not to spend more time in front of a screen for children under the age of 1 year. agency.

The American Academy of Pediatrics published guidelines in 2016, recommending:

• Parents of children under 18 months avoid using another screen medium than video chat;
• Parents of children aged 18 to 24 months who wish to use digital media should choose high quality programming and watch with their children to help them understand.
• Parents of children aged 2 to 5 years should limit the use of screening to one hour a day, focusing on high quality programs. Co-vision is always recommended because it helps children learn to apply what they see in digital form and apply it to the world around them.
• Parents of children aged 6 and over must consistently limit the amount of time spent on the media and the type of media used.

Instead of screens, Schwan offered some activities to parents: to read, tell stories, sing, play together in the yard or plant a garden together. According to Schwan, meals are another opportunity to give the shot to the screen. Schwan said parents should encourage talking together and sharing stories around meals, involving the whole family in preparing and presenting meals.

"Children who eat more with their families do better in school and engage in less risky behaviors such as alcohol and smoking," he said.

Schwan said that screens can affect not only the physical activity of a child, but also the quality of his sleep. Not getting enough sleep, can increase the risk of obesity in children and reduce school performance, he warned. He recommended making the room an area without a screen.

Schwan recommended to schedule a schedule of activities and events each month for the family, so as to avoid defaulting to screens. Doing this family planning is a great way to further reduce screen time, he said.

But the best way for a parent to influence the health of their children, according to Schwan, is for example.

"Modeling healthy behavior is probably the most meaningful and effective way a parent can influence the health of his child," he said.