Preschooler screen time linked to behavioural problems
19/04/19 14:12
A new study links excessive screen time among preschoolers to behavioural problems they experienced at age five. The research looked at more than 2,400 families and compared children who got at least two hours of daily screen time to those who had less than 30 minutes per day.
Kids who spent more of their day in front of screens were five times more likely to exhibit clinically significant "externalizing" behavioural problems such as inattention. They were also more than seven times more likely to meet the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but without aggression. University of Alberta pediatrics professor Piush Mandhane, who led the study, says screen time was associated with problems more than any other risk factor considered, including sleep, parenting stress, and socioeconomic factors.
He suggests that current Canadian guidelines should be far less than the suggested one hour a day limit for preschoolers and the two hours a day limit for five-year-olds. [Read more…]
Kids who spent more of their day in front of screens were five times more likely to exhibit clinically significant "externalizing" behavioural problems such as inattention. They were also more than seven times more likely to meet the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but without aggression. University of Alberta pediatrics professor Piush Mandhane, who led the study, says screen time was associated with problems more than any other risk factor considered, including sleep, parenting stress, and socioeconomic factors.
He suggests that current Canadian guidelines should be far less than the suggested one hour a day limit for preschoolers and the two hours a day limit for five-year-olds. [Read more…]