Screen time for babies: what are the risks?
Our young children are part of a generation born with the Internet and new technologies. Television, computers, smartphones, tablets, consoles, the list is long ... Our children find themselves, from an early age, surrounded by many screens used by their families on a daily basis. If their use in children allows parents a few moments of tranquility, spending too much time on these screens can have a detrimental impact on their health and behavior. It is therefore important to limit their use and to frame their use. How to manage the risks of screens in children? Read more in this blog.
SCREEN TIME FOR BABIES: WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Overexposure to screens can lead to many health risks, such as sleep disorder, visual deficit, aggression, and overweight. It is therefore important to accompany and limit the time of exposure to screens in children, as overconsumption may prove to be poor for their development and health in general.
Even though these new technologies may be entertaining and educational. The touch pad for example is very useful in young children in the learning of numbers and reading. Or the use of interactive games allows to exercise their sense of observation, to develop their creativity as well as their memory. However, these screens should not replace traditional toys (cars, dolls, construction toys, etc.) or interactions with their environment. Indeed, for many specialists, interactions with their entourage (parents and other children) remain the best source of development in children.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Here are some tips for managing the use of screens in children:
- Limit the time of use. Establish with the child hourly slices, while not exceeding the recommended limit of 2 hours per day.
- Encourage discussion of what the child has seen or done on these screens. This will develop their interactions with their entourage and avoid the risks of isolation.
- Find alternative activities to develop their creativity while having fun.
- Apply the of 3-6-9-12 rule, invented by psychiatrist Serge Tisseron in 2008. No screens for children under 3, no video games for children under 6, no unsupervised internet for children under 9 and no social networks for children under 12.
