Is increasing screen time a menace?
- Screen time refers to the amount of time a person spends staring on the digital displays.
- As society is becoming advanced, adults as well as the younger generation are witnessing increased screen time.
- Phones, gadgets, laptops and palmtops have become essential commodities for adults and is nothing less than oxygen foe children, as most of the the time, they are seen reading and playing games on their handheld devices.
- Usually a lot of children routinely engage in more than two hours of screen time per day on any of these gadgets.
A daily average of two hours of screen time can lead to:
-Headaches: Spending more than required time on screen and continuously staring at it can cause headaches. Which is not good sign for health of a person. -Neck/Shoulder pain: Long sitting hours and no physical activity can lead to pain in the neck and shoulders, eye strain, dry or irritated eyes. When kids stare at screen for a long time, they may blink less than normal which can cause dryness in eyes leading to eye strain and fatigue. –Reduced attention span: Screens emit high wave length radiations that can effect a person’s attention span. 
-Poor behaviour/Irritability: Excessive screen use can isolate children from what is happening around them, which in turn can hamper their social behaviour. –Obesity: Kids, who spend most of their time using screens, may not be getting enough physical activity that might lead to weight gain and also, obesity at later stage. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages #media use, except for video-chatting, by kids younger than 18 to 24 months. They also recommend that children aged two to five years should limit screen time to one hour per day, that too, of high quality programming.
RECOVERY
Like all parenting decisions, it is important to focus on modelling the preferred behaviour in front of your children, and involve older children in the decision-making process.As, parents pivotal role in developing the habits of their child. Parents need to use their time very wisely with their kids. Monitor what they are accessing and use that opportunity to start conversations and learning process. Make sure that screens are being used in family or shared areas, and not in bedrooms. 
- Children less than two years of age are more likely to learn and remember information from a live presentation than they are from watching various videos.
- By the time children turn two, they can benefit from some kinds off #screen time, such as programming with music, movement and stories. By watching these with them, you can help your child understand what he or she is seeing and let them apply in their real life, too. However passive screen time should not replace reading, playing or problem-solving.Be the role model for your kids by limiting your own use of screens, especially when you are around them. As, “if you don’t shape your kids, they will be shaped by outside forces.”
Things that can reinforce:
#Screen time have taken the world by a storm, leading to nothing less than revolution. As youngsters are inordinately addicted to screens that they are being detached from the society at a very faster pace. So, parents should formulate the strategies to curb this problem. Eight to twelve hours of sleep and one hour of exercise should always take #priority over the screen time. Set screen time guidelines for your family and make them understand that this considerable time should be spent in exploring themselves as well as developing other life skills. Involve them in decision making process. Monitor the use of screens, keeping in mind the recommended maximum per day time of two hours. But make sure, you should not be rude with them as they need time to change their earlier developed habits, so you need to act accordingly and wisely. Hope this blog pave the way for all to value ideas like critical thinking, being social and realizing that there’s a huge and beautiful world outside these screens!!
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Oh no….. Seems like I need to reduce my Screen time a lot…
Hahaha…