The physical activity of a 5-year-old child spending 3 hours a day in front of screens would decrease by an average of 40 minutes.
Smartphones, tablets, computers… screens have invaded our daily lives. In fact, children are very exposed to it, even overexposed, which leads to many developmental disorders. A recent study conducted by 16 researchers in Singapore (Malaysia), on 552 children aged 2 to 5 years old, showed that overexposure to screens causes mobility problems in toddlers. Their work has been published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
Overexposed to screens, children move less
Parents were instructed to note the number of daily hours their child spent in front of a screen. After 3 years, the researchers measured the mobility of the little ones using a accelerometer, a sensor intended to measure acceleration. Result: the children spent an average of 2.5 hours a day in front of the screens.
Only 19% of them spent less than an hour there daily, while nearly a third (29%) were ahead for more than three hours a day. According to the study data, the physical activity of a 5-year-old child spending 3 hours a day in front of screens would drop by 40 minutes, compared to a 2-year-old child who would spend 1 hour there.
Screens affect children’s brain development
In his book The mental burden of children (ed. Larousse), clinical psychologist Aline Nativel Id Hammou, specializing in the field of childhood, adolescence and the family, warns of the dangers associated with early hyperconnection. She mentions in particular “an impact on the general cerebral development at the origin of a language delay, a reduction in the capacity of attention”, as well as a “lack of creativity and expression of the imaginary”. It also mentions the risks of overweight, sleep and vision disorders (due to blue light).
The psychologist noticed that the screens also took away from the child “the possibility of being alone with himself, which is nevertheless essential, from an early age, to learn to cope with boredom and stress. absence, to gain self-confidence and not always rely on others or objects exteriors.”
Aline Nativel Id Hammou tells in particular the case of Guillaume, 5 years old, addicted to the tablet that his parents gave him for his 4 years. Unable to get rid of it, the little boy takes it everywhere with him, in his satchel, in the toilet and in his bed. His screen has become his comforter. If his parents pull him away, he screams and hits his head on the ground. “He speaks little, his tablet speaks for him and his vocabulary is only related to his applications”, writes the psychologist. He draws on it, but only copy-pastes the models he has in front of him, thus depriving his imagination and his creativity of expressing themselves. It will take 1 year of therapy for Guillaume to wean himself off this addiction.
“Development is rapid during infancy”
In April 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) published new recommendations for children under 5, including banning screens for babies aged 0 to 1. “We must do what is best for health from an early age, said WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Development is rapid during infancy and this period should be taken advantage of to adapt the family lifestyle in a way favorable to health.” From two to four years old, screen time should not exceed one hour, knowing that “less is more.”
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