While screens now occupy a dominant place in children's lives, many teachers are starting to notice how time spent on screens outside of school affects their students' behaviour and learning. To better understand this phenomenon, our new contributor and educator David Bessette looked into the subject and is sharing his findings with you today.
First, screen time covers any interaction with a screen, whether it's a computer, tablet, phone, TV or gaming console. Although screens can be used in positive ways, such as watching a movie as a family or doing research, there is a limit beyond which their use can have negative effects. Experts therefore recommend no screens before age 2, a maximum of one hour a day for ages 2 to 5, and two hours a day for those over 5. However, statistics show that this recommendation is often exceeded.
The negative impacts of excessive screen use include effects on motor skills, language development, attention span, working memory, impulsivity, emotional regulation, sleep quality, physical health and even eyesight. There is also a direct link between screen time, sleep quality and overall health, as these different aspects influence one another.
To counter these effects, David suggests that you set realistic goals as a family, limit use to one screen at a time, avoid screens for an hour before bedtime, and talk as a family about alternatives to screens. He also encourages you to make a list of non-screen activities and to stick to these rules to promote healthy, balanced screen use.
Want to learn more about the subject? Take a few minutes of your screen time to watch this video!
To discover all of educator David Bessette's content, click here!
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