Children Under 18 Months Of Age Should Have No Screen Time At All: Experts

With the advent of digitalisation, we are constantly glued to our mobile phones. If you are a 90s kid, you might have got your first Android phone during or after college. But these days, even kids who are under 5 years of age are often seen playing games and watching videos on iPads and phones.

Using mobile phones or any gadget for recreational and educational purposes is never harmful. But its over-usage and addiction potentially lead to more damage than good. And today, we are going to talk about the limit to mobile phone usage, especially for children and what healthier alternatives are present.

Experts have recommended that children over 2 years of age should have no more than 1-2 hours of screen time per day. They added that children under 18 months of age should have no screen time at all.

Experts have also suggested that parents should show their children how to participate in other activities such as playing games, reading books or doing crafts. They should be encouraged to engage in alternative activities such as playing outside, drawing, building with blocks or playing board games. These activities not only reduce screen time but also help children develop various skills and interests. Using the “parental controls” feature to limit the content kids can access on their devices, sets limits on the time they spend on certain apps or websites.

Setting screen time limits for children and asking them to be away from mobile phones is important for parents, the experts added. It can do wonders in the long run as excessive use of mobile phones can cause both physical and mental problems. Being constantly on the phone causes neck pain, headache, obesity, hearing loss and other problems. Psychologically, it causes sleep deprivation, internet addiction, anxiety, depression, speech and language disorders in children, inability to concentrate, work procrastination, fatigue and other issues.