screens, while parents often do not know what to do, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new official recommendations.
It is a kind of “compass” to guide their dads and moms about whether and how much to leave small children to play with a device or watching a screen.
The two main tips are: no screen for children up to 18 months, while no more than an hour of screen for toddlers two to five years. Still, parents certainly should not be tempted to give electronic devices to their children to reassure, when they cry or seek persistently the attention of their parents. The “trick” that is only allowed in exceptional cases, such as in airplanes or in doctors ‘ visits.
The new recommendations, published in the journal “Pediatrics” of the Academy, with the responsible associate professor of pediatrics Megan Moreno and the Greek Dimitri Christakis of the University and Children’s Hospital of Seattle, point to the need for the use of electronic devices to be balanced with physical exercise, adequate sleep and plenty of time with all the family for food or toys (without screens!).
Still, the right thing is to not use screens in the bedroom of the child, nor the hour of the food. A basic rule should be, also, no use of screen an hour before bedtime. When toddlers use a device, the ideal would be some sort of video or other program that can watch, or some electronic game that children can play with their parents. In particular, children up to two years I can learn a lot from an electronic device (an electronic children’s book, children’s βιντεοπαιγνίδι etc.), without the help of a large.
“It’s like a car. Don’t you just give the keys and tell the child, “okay, you drive”. Sitting next to him in the early years leads,” said Moreno. And if the child is playing with an application (app) on the tablet or the cell phone, the parent will have to have it “checked out” first.But in older children, over five years, as well as adolescents, we need to set boundaries regarding the time they spend in front of a screen, small or large. The frequent use of screens is interfering with the normal development of the brain, adequate sleep, building healthy relationships etc.
Of great importance, during the American pediatricians, is what makes a child in front of a screen. For example, there is no problem if he talks on Skype with his grandmother or if it’s using the Facebook, when he feels isolation from his classmates, because, for example obese .”Social media is not good or bad. What really matters is what the child does with these and how it uses them,” said Moreno.
Also, the Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit themselves to the excessive use of electronic devices (mobile, computer etc.) in the house, but when they are together with their children (e.x. during a ride), because this lack of communication parent-child lay the foundations for future alienation and conflicts between them.
Source
No screens in children under 18 months and only one hour a day for toddlers up to 5 years
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