Team Webmaster : Children who live in today’s digital age experience the introduction of screen media (screen time) early as an impact of the use of devices by parents and adults around them.
According to Unicef – the United Nations ‘ International Children’s emergency fund-many parents use screen time on their devices to entertain or distract their children while they attend to other needs.
This method does work. Screens attract children’s attention in a way that almost nothing else can, so parents can take a little break.
However, what impact do screens have on children’s brains and how long should they spend watching screens?
Spending excessive time in front of a screen in children has an impact on difficulty concentrating, lack of mental clarity, and thoughts that keep jumping from one thing to another is often associated with a condition called “popcorn brain” (popcorn brain).
Popcorn brain is a term used to refer to the condition of the child’s brain that is accustomed to the screen of a digital device that constantly responds to strong stimuli until
the brain explodes.
The enormous dependence of children on screen media has generated serious public health problems because it can harm their cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional growth.
Parents ‘ screen time has unwittingly been a powerful predictor factor against a child’s screen time behavior. Screen time refers to the time a child spends in front of a screen, be it a movie theater screen, smartphone, tablet, computer, or other screen that displays moving images.
Patricia Kuhl, one of the world’s leading brain scientists and conducts experiments with more than 4,000 babies every year. “What we found is that small babies, who are under one year old, do not learn from machines.”
In fact, Patricia states that if parents show interesting videos, the difference in learning is remarkable. “You get genius learning from living humans, and you don’t get any learning at all from machines.”
Perhaps that is why the World Health Organization advises no screen time for babies under 2 years of age and no more than an hour of screen time a day for those aged 2 to 4 years.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under the age of 2 not be given screen time at all. At the age of 5 and over, the child can be introduced to a slightly longer screen time, but still be limited.
To limit screen time, parents can set free areas of the device, such as the dining room and bedroom. Parents can apply a controller application on the device to set daily time limits on the child’s device.
Before allowing children to use the device, make sure that the program or content accessed is safe and has a good rating.Parents can invite children to discuss the programs they watch and enable filter options for content that is not safe for children to watch.
Screen time effect
Children learn best through interaction with others and not through screens so parents and adults are around. The impact of screen time has an effect on children’s brains and behavior, but many parents give up when their child has a tantrum asking for a tablet.
Researchers are now warning that this could create a vicious cycle, as it can interfere with a child’s ability to manage anger and increase emotional outbursts.
Studies show that screen time for young children jumped from just five minutes a day in 2020 to 55 minutes a day in 2022. Researchers from a recent study found that early tablet use can contribute to an adverse cycle for emotional regulation.
“We found that the timing of a child’s tablet use contributed to increased expression of anger and frustration, and that emotional expression of anger / frustration were
larger doses then lead to more tablet use, thus, possibly causing cycles over time,” the researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Jama Pediatrics.
Limiting children’s screen time addiction can begin by regulating screen time from parents because it can have an effect on children.
Parents ‘ screen time unknowingly is a powerful predictor of children’s screen time behavior so parents can begin to regulate their own screen time by
start reducing the use of devices in front of children.
The chairman of ukk tumbuh kembang Paediatrics sosial Ikatan Dokter Anak Indonesia (IDAI) Prof. Dr. dr. Ahmad Suryawan Sp.A (K) alert attempts to limit screen time, apparently not
and necessarily correct developmental disorders quickly, but it takes time to be able to improve the next 1-2 years.
“Excessive screen time can lead to obesity or an increase in body mass index at a later age. The factor of exposure to devices during mealtime also contributes to the addition of a significant index of the child’s body time which results in obesity,” he said.
Parents and adults around the world need to be aware that, in addition to the threat to children’s mental and physical health, there is a more dire threat of excessive screen time for children associated with cybercrime.
These threats include cyber bullying, identity theft, online fraud, inappropriate content, and the danger of spreading personal information.One of the threats that often occurs in cyberspace is inappropriate content for children because children easily access adult content, violence, and online bullying.
These threats usually come in the form of fearsome online predators that seek victims through social media or unsecured websites. Therefore, it is important for parents and caregivers to recognize and understand these threats by providing “do’s and don’ts.”
Before giving time to use devices to children, parents need to provide knowledge or mitigation with language that children understand related to risk information on various possibilities that occur in cyberspace.
From the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2016, in general, parents should be educated to better understand the use of devices as media, and understand the development of the child’s brain by emphasizing direct interaction.
Cyberbullying is one of the inevitable risks, but it can be prevented by the active role of parents and qualified digital literacy.