There is a typical problem.
It’s no secret that too much screen time can negatively affect developing minds.
However, now Swedish health officials say toddlers should be completely banned from using digital media and TV, claiming it can lead to poor sleep, mental health problems and other problems.
The country’s Public Health Agency specifically recommended that children under 2 be banned from using the devices, Fortune magazine reported.
It also stipulated that children aged 2 to 5 should be limited to a maximum of one hour of daily screen time, while those aged 6 to 12 should not spend more than an hour or two a day on a device.
Adolescents aged 13 to 18 should not spend more than three hours a day on screens, according to the Health Organization’s no-screening proposal.
The state institution warned teenagers not to use devices before bed, adding that devices should be kept out of the bedroom at night.
The advice comes amid a global crisis of internet addiction, in which teenagers, young adults and even young adults are increasingly glued to screens amid the worldwide technological onslaught.
“For too long, smartphones and other screens have been allowed to enter every aspect of our children’s lives,” said the country’s Minister of Public Health Jakob Forssmed, according to Fortune.
The health official claimed that the country’s teenagers, aged 13 to 16, spend 6.5 hours a day glued to their devices outside of school hours.
Meanwhile, their American counterparts are on their devices for an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes a day, studies have shown.
Forssmed said the near-constant screen time left little time for “communal” activities, “physical activity” and even sleep.
He claimed that Sweden is suffering from a “sleep crisis” in which more than 50% of teenagers do not get enough sleep because they are constantly browsing social media.
In addition, studies have shown that excessive device use can lead to a host of negative health effects, including depression, poor sleep, and body dissatisfaction.
Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia found that infants and toddlers who are allowed screen time are more likely to exhibit atypical sensory behaviors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
It can also make toddlers more prone to outbursts since tech-addicted types aren’t interacting with parents or other kids, which helps them learn to regulate their emotions.
Unfortunately, these tantrums often lead parents to hand their little hellions an iPad to calm them down, which only serves to perpetuate the cycle.
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Image Source : nypost.com