WHO has recommended children not to see screens before two years and sparked controversy – 24/04/2019

Children they should have no access to screens before the age of two and spend an hour against them between three and four years, even if less time is better, according to new recommendations issued Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

It's a guide developed from the examination of some one hundred studies carried out in different parts of the world and offered concrete recommendations the daily time that young children should devote to physical activity, sleep and how to reduce sedentary time and, in particular, the "sedentary time of screens". As screens, we consider television and videos, computer games and consoles.

WHO has decided to be very precise in these recommendations by adapting them to three age categories before the age of five: less than one year, between one and two years and between three and four. Experts agree that early childhood, during which rapid growth and cognitive development develops, is the period during which children's habits are formed and family routines are more open to change and more adaptable.

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"Increase physical activity, reduce sedentary time and ensure the child a quality sleep, improve his physical and mental health, as well as his overall well-being, prevent obesity and other diseases later in life, "explained one of the responsible for the preparation of the guide to WHO, Fiona Bull, at a press conference. Available data indicate that 40 million children under five (5.9% of the total) in the world are overweight.

However, these recommendations they generated controversy among the scientific community. Many experts have denounced the fact that they are based on weak tests and they criticized the UN agency for adopting overly simplistic definitions of key phrases, such as "time spent in front of a sedentary screen". The WHO believes, however, that these instructions "fill a gap" in the global effort to promote healthy living, as this age group is not in its recommendations set in 2010.

At a time when obesity represents a growing threat to public health and that 80% of adolescents "are not physically active enough", WHO has found it necessary to disseminate a list of good habits for children under 5, crucial period for the development of a lifestyle. While acknowledging that these tips are based on "low quality evidence", the health agency says its recommendations can be applied to all children, regardless of gender, cultural background or socio-economic status. .

Andrew Przybylski, Director of Research at the Oxford University's Internet Institute, questioned "the conclusions drawn about the screens are far from scientific evidence "and called on the WHO to conduct" better studies "on this topic." I wonder how the global public health policy instructions, which affect millions of families, can be based on "poor quality tests," said Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the British Open University, who also questioned them is exactly the "sedentary screen time".

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On this point, Juana Willumsen, responsible for topics related to obesity and physical activity of children at the WHO, explained that the phrase "time spent in front of a sedentary screen" s "opposed to" tablet games or television programs in which children are encouraged to move. "

Bull, who is also director of the non-communicable disease prevention program at the UN agency, took up the challenge of criticizing the fragile quality of the test and said that the body simply wanted to be "transparent about the fact that". 39, there is still a lot of scientific work to do in important new areas. "

Recommendations, age by age

Babies up to one year

For babies, it is proposed to stimulate their physical activity several times a day and to focus on interactive game while they are lying and for those who still have no mobility, place them at least 30 minutes during the day upside down when they are awake. Moments of pbadivity (including those who pbad in a basket or baby seat or who are subject to the back or chest of the caregiver) should not exceed one hour in a row, while that screens of all types are totally discouraged. The hours of sleep should be between 14 and 17 years old during the first three months of life and between 12 and 16 hours up to 11 months, including naps.

Between one and two years

Physical activity must occupy at least 180 minutes a day and adopt different forms, and although for children one year it is established that it is necessary to avoid screens, for those two years, it is mentioned that the maximum should be one hour, but less would be preferable . The hours of sleep are between 11 and 14 hours, which includes normal sleep and the time needed to wake up.

3 to 4 years

They always advise at least 180 minutes of varied physical activity, but this time it is suggested that 60 minutes of this time be composed of physical activity of a certain intensity. Longer physical activity is better for the health, while the time spent on the screens should not exceed one hour, while the sleep time is slightly reduced and is between 10 and 13 hours per day.

Throughout this period (between zero and five years), experts encourage parents and caregivers to enjoy moments of tranquility during interactive activities, such as reading or telling a story to the child and to play.

Source: EFE and AFP