Kids are no longer oblivious to smartphones. It’s their wondrously technical toy for playing games, watching cartoons, or for educational content sometimes. For busy mothers, nothing could be as effective as smartphones to keep their kids engaged for hours but it could be creepy if this habit starts affecting their eyes and health.
Parents and doctors are often concerned about the high screen time for kids. Especially during the past two years of the COVID wave, when during lockdown mobile phones were their only companion. When it comes to kids, limiting screen time is a must otherwise it may lead to problems like shoulder pain, and eye strain, and ultimately cause myopia (Nearsightedness) at such a small age.
Check how much screen time you can allow your little ones for healthy and productive use of mobile phones without affecting their eyes.
Age wise screen time recommendation
It depends on the age of your child whether you should allow them to use the phone or not. And if you are granting access to the phone to your child, how long should you allow it? Screen Time varies age-wise, which considerably increased after the pandemic. Let us see –
For Newborns To Up To 2 Years Old
Newborns’ eyes are very delicate. The harsh radiations and refractions of mobile screen phones may adversely affect their small-small eyes. Except for occasional video calls, and a “Zero” screen, time is recommended for babies up to 18 months. According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), it is too early for babies to be exposed to mobile phones. Exposing little cuties to mobile phones stresses their visual system and results in unwanted sensory stimulation which may prove daunting.
For Babies From 2 Years To 5 Years Old
At this age, toddlers can start walking and hold the phone on their own. It is ok to let them see some educational stuff like phonics or animal sounds or anything like that. But that should not be more than 1 hour. Experts have recommended a total screen time of 1 hour a day. So, it is good to break this into 10-15 minutes of slots in the entire day.
For Kids Ages 5 Years And Above
By this age, kids do understand how to operate a smartphone. For playing games, watching cartoons, and surfing educational content for school projects, a phone is a device that every child needs. Following expert recommendations, parents should not allow more than 1 hour of screen time on weekdays. However, on weekends, screen time may increase up to 2 hours but more than that is harmful.
For Adults
If you are a working professional, we can understand that you have no choice but to work at least 8 hours a day in front of your laptop. But as doctors often suggest, take frequent breaks and give your eyes rest. You may also adopt some eye exercises to relieve eye pain. Limit your screen time for watching Netflix and Amazon Prime types of channels or you can keep it for weekends. Also, limit time for using social media. Buying a blue light glasses can help you relive the eye strain.
Tips To Reduce Screen Time For Kids
- Encourage kids to be involved in playing more physical games.
- Try to utilize their screen time in educational and interactive programs.
- Give them a larger device like a laptop or tablet because bigger screens cause less visual impact and pain to the eyes.
- Engage them more in activities like coloring, painting, reading, or writing.
- Communicate and make them understand that excess screen time affects their health.
Conclusion
Mobile phones have become a part and parcel of our lives. We are so addicted to mobile phones that we can miss our meals but not phones. Well, with the advancement of technology, the usage of mobile phones for people of every age is increasing tremendously, especially among kids. Limiting screen time for kids, as well as adults, helps to mitigate the adverse effect of excessive use of mobile phones.
