Screen time for children under 2 more than doubled, study finds

The researchers used parental diary data previously collected by the study of income dynamics conducted by a group of specialists from the Child Development Supplement at the University of Michigan, for which the first year available was 1997 and the last was 2014.

For children under 2 years, the daily screen time increased from 1.32 hours in 1997 to 3.05 hours in 2014, with television accounting for more than two and a half hours in 2014, compared with half time in 1997. For children aged 3 to 5, screen time averaged 2.47 hours in 1997 and did not change much in 2014, but television also accounted for most of the time spent on the screen; from a little over an hour in 1997 to over two hours in 2014. The increase in time spent in front of a television comes despite the changing landscape of electronic screens available for children .

Weiwei Chen, lead author of the study and adjunct professor at the Department of Health Policy and Management at Florida International University, explains that as a health economist and mother of a family she wanted to understand how much time children spend on screens.

"As a parent and researcher, I am curious to understand the time our kids are currently spending on smartphones, iPads, TV and all kinds of screens," Chen said.

Chen explains that in 1997, the time spent in front of a screen was defined as the time spent watching television, video games and computers. In 2014, however, the time spent in front of the screen also included cell phones, tablets, e-readers and learning devices. Five years later, the list of devices is even longer and the data used in the study may be somewhat outdated.

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, general pediatrician and head of digital innovation at Seattle Children's Hospital, said not to be surprised by the increased time spent in front of a television given the demands of modern parenting, but it nevertheless does so.

"When we are busy and we work with two or we are overwhelmed or we are a single father, television is so effective at keeping the attention of our children as to facilitate the task of our household," he said. said Swanson.

Not all screens are created equal

Swanson, who was not involved in the study, is concerned that e-readers and learning devices are in the same category as other screens.

"I want them to think differently," she said. "While I watch my own kids interact with iPads, TVs and tablets versus an e-reader, I think these are different devices, and I do not want them to be grouped together."

Swanson also explains that in addition to watching the total time on the screen, we should also consider the content.

"Programming is capturing more and more of our children's attention," she said. "And while provocative and compelling for the children's minds, it also prepares them for the expectation that the world will evolve at a certain pace, and we know it is not."

Swanson refers to the ever more colorful and fast-moving cartoons that make up most of the programs, video games and apps for kids.

Screen time and brain development

The time spent on screen excessively early in life has been badociated with cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional delays, probably because the time spent on the screen reduces the time spent by children interacting with the screen. the parents.

Too much time spent in front of the screen has also been badociated with an increased risk of childhood obesity and impaired sleep.

For this reason, in 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended to completely avoid screens in children under 18 months, to watch only high quality programs and co-watch between 18 months and 2 years and limit screen time to one hour per day for children. kids 2 to 5 years.

"As a child's brain develops, especially during the first two or three years of his life, he builds new insane connections." He connects and re-connects, "said Swanson.

It is in these early ages that it is of the utmost importance to allow children to play creatively and parents to interact with them at a pace appropriate to their stage of development, a she said.

Find a balance

While it's important to limit the time spent in front of a screen, Swanson is also realistic about the expectations of parents today.

"With understanding and empathy, let's say it makes sense for people to do it," Swanson said. "They do not do it by negligence or by malicious or malicious thought.They do it because it's an easy solution to a complex situation – a frustrated, hungry, tired child, and a frustrated, hungry, tired parent . "

More stressed parents can rely more on television to help care for their children. In the new study, parents of children who spent the most time in front of screens were more likely to come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Realizing that screen time needs to be considered in terms of whether families have enough support and appropriate child care, Swanson urges families to minimize time spent in school. screen.

"I understand why you do it, I do it too," Swanson said. "But we all have to work very hard to realize that it is a super easy solution and that the most difficult solution could be better and ultimately could be more beneficial."