Time for a View on Screen Time
Time for a View on Screen Time
There is good evidence that children's ST can be reduced through simple measures, mainly raising parental awareness. A systematic review by researchers at Harvard Medical School recently reported that 29 studies 'achieved significant reductions in TV viewing or screen-media use'. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other studies, has found parental rules and limits on ST effectively reduce ST, as does not having screens in bedrooms. The CDC study also found a negative dose-response relationship between weekly physical activity and the risk of exceeding recommended ST limits, recommending the promotion of physical activity as an additional means of reducing ST.
Role modelling is another important factor. Parent and child levels of screen viewing are strongly related: children who live in a household that promotes TV-watching (TV is on when the child comes home from school, and meals are eaten in front of the TV) are more likely to watch excessive amounts of television themselves. If parents watch television for more than 4 h/day, their son and daughter, respectively, will be 10.5 and three times more likely to watch it for more than 4 h/day too.
Interventions
There is good evidence that children's ST can be reduced through simple measures, mainly raising parental awareness. A systematic review by researchers at Harvard Medical School recently reported that 29 studies 'achieved significant reductions in TV viewing or screen-media use'. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other studies, has found parental rules and limits on ST effectively reduce ST, as does not having screens in bedrooms. The CDC study also found a negative dose-response relationship between weekly physical activity and the risk of exceeding recommended ST limits, recommending the promotion of physical activity as an additional means of reducing ST.
Role modelling is another important factor. Parent and child levels of screen viewing are strongly related: children who live in a household that promotes TV-watching (TV is on when the child comes home from school, and meals are eaten in front of the TV) are more likely to watch excessive amounts of television themselves. If parents watch television for more than 4 h/day, their son and daughter, respectively, will be 10.5 and three times more likely to watch it for more than 4 h/day too.
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