Too much time on the screen, not enough game for kids: study

According to a study released Thursday, only one in 20 children in the United States meets the guidelines on sleep, exercise and time spent in front of a screen.

According to the researchers, on average, children aged eight to eleven spent 3.6 hours a day glued to a TV, mobile phone, tablet or computer screen, almost double the limit. suggested.

They reported in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health that a lack of sleep and excessive screen time were clearly linked to a decline in cognitive abilities, such as language skills, memory and job completion.

"We found that more than two hours of screen time in children were associated with lower cognitive development," said lead author Jeremy Walsh, a researcher at the Center's Research Institute. hospital for children from east of Ontario.

"Based on our findings, pediatricians, parents, educators, and policy makers should promote the limitation of time spent in the entertainment screens and prioritize healthy sleep routines during childhood and early childhood." # 39; adolescence ".

Walsh and his team looked at data – based on detailed questionnaires – for 4,520 children across 20 sites in the United States.

They also tested children for six types of cognitive skills, adjusting the results for household income, the development of puberty and other factors that could affect performance.

The results were measured against the Canadian 24-Hour Travel Guidelines for Children.

For sleep and exercise, the recommendations align with those of the World Health Organization, but Canada is the first country to offer time limits in front of a backlit display.

– Distraction in class –

Almost 30% of children did not meet any of the recommendations, over 40% had only one response, one quarter met two people and only five percent complied with all three.

Half of the children were sleeping well, 37% were on time and only 18% were satisfied with the physical activity recommendation.

"The more the child met individual recommendations, the better his knowledge," the study concluded, noting that screen time was the most important factor.

In contrast to previous research, lack of exercise was not correlated with poorer performance of cognition tests.

The close connection between time spent watching a screen and brain function "potentially reflects the interruption of the cycle of stress recovery necessary for growth in children," said Eduardo Esteban Bustamante, assistant professor at the College of Applied Health Sciences of the University of Illinois. who did not participate in the study.

"Every minute spent on screens necessarily moves one minute of sleep."

Scientists and educators are increasingly concerned that the constant use of mobile phones at an early age will lead to problems ranging from addiction to attention deficit disorder.

A vast majority of teachers in a recent survey said that smartphones had become a source of distraction in the classroom, eroding students' ability to focus.

France urges parents not to allow children under three to watch TV and US pediatricians are also in favor of a total ban on the screen until at least 18 months .