During the winter months, it can be difficult to find ways to limit screen time for kids. With most outdoor activities off the list and limited space indoors, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of letting kids watch TV or play online games for most of the day; however, this increase in screen time can end up becoming habit-forming, quickly escalating to additional screen time during the summer months as well. While we often hear about the negative impact that screen time can have on young children, it’s important to understand the dangers and address how we can prevent it.
The Long-Term Impact of Screen Time
In recent years, many studies have been conducted to better understand the consequences of media usage in childhood development and the results have so far been concerning. In the United States, nearly one in every 12 children between the ages of three and 17 has some type of disorder relating to speech, voice, and language development.While these disorders can be linked to specific learning disorders, research has also found a correlation between screen time and language delay. Dr. Catherine Birken, a pediatrician and scientist in Toronto, assessed multiple children from 2011 to 2015 to gauge how screen time was impacting normal development. Her team discovered that children who used handheld devices for more than 28 minutes every day showed a significant delay in expressive speech. She concluded that for every additional 30 minutes a child is exposed to screen time there was a 49% increase in the risk of speech delay.
