Addicted to technology
Warning for children who spend over six hours a day on
screens
Young people could be becoming addicted to technology in the
same way that drinkers and drug users become addicted to alcohol
and drugs.
This warning has come from a scientist who says that using
screens too much can actually change our brains.
Playing computer games and watching TV can increase certain
chemicals in our brains. And the more we watch screens, the more we
want to watch screens.
Some research says that 10 and 11-year-olds are spending an
average of 6.1 hours a day looking at screens on devices like
smartphones, games consoles and televisions.
Another report says that children of this age are spending
nearly two hours a week longer playing computer games than in
2010.
By the age of seven, a child born today will have spent the
equivalent of one full year looking at a screen.
The scientist behind the new research, Dr Aric Sigman, says that
children under the age of three should not have any screen time,
while under-18s should have a maximum of two hours a day.
As well as causing changes to the brain, watching screens for
too long instead of getting some exercise could lead to weight and
health problems, Dr Sigman warned. And being addicted to technology
is also linked to attention problems.
Click here to try our screen time quiz.
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Addicted to technology
'Play time must be more active'
Marguerite Hunter Blair, chief executive of Play
Scotland
The average screen time in the home for British children is
around six hours a day and paediatricians are concerned at the risk
factor this presents for a range of diseases.
Many adults can remember playing outdoors with friends -
unsupervised and further from home than intended.
For children whose play time is mostly screen-based
entertainment, this can be a more sedentary, indoor and isolating
experience - with life-shortening consequences.
The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends children under
two years old should not watch television and that those older than
two watch no more than two hours a day of quality programming.
The pre-school years are a critical time for brain development
and screens can also get in the way of children being physically
active - playing, talking and making friends.
We know children who spend more than four hours a day watching
television are more likely to be overweight and those who view
violent acts are more likely to display aggressive behaviour.
The answer is getting the balance right. Play time must be a
priority for children.
If 80% of children's play time is with real people exploring and
enjoying the environment, then 20% screen-based play can complement
this in a positive way.
'What are youngsters meant to do?'
Extract from comment article in the Herald newspaper
Many TV programmes have educational benefit. Computer games can
teach everything from spelling to physical co-ordination. The Wii
can even keep them fit. For children who are separated from their
friends, social networking can counter human isolation rather than
increase it.
As many parents consider it unsafe for children to play outside
unsupervised, what are youngsters meant to do? Many of today's
adults recall childhoods of unmitigated tedium and loneliness. It
is a mistake to imagine some universal golden age of childhood.
As with alcohol, many children take their cue from their
parents, who also have phenomenal levels of eye-to-screen contact.
Would it be worth considering advisory levels of screen time for
all family members, comparable to units of alcohol? Ultimately,
however, it is not technology that is at fault. It's what we do
with it that matters.
Click here to try our screen time quiz.
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Join the Daily What News Facebook group
Click here to watch a recording of
our most recent Daily What Newsround on Glow TV, featuring a
special guest from the Scottish SPCA (Glow login
required).
Join us for our next programme on Friday 8 June at
11am!