Children's Health Survey Series: Screen Time and Children's Health

Managing Your Children’s Media Use During COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has forced families around the world to make adjustments to their daily life and schedule. One of the most stressful adjustments for many families has been the transition to online learning. Instead of spending the majority of their waking hours at school surrounded by their classmates, children are learning remotely at home. They now spend additional hours every day in front of a computer screen. Although digital devices are allowing children to continue learning and engaging in educational content, unlimited screen time can be harmful [1].

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that caregivers set boundaries for screen time. Health risks of excessive media use include negative effects on weight, sleep, mood, and physical activity. The AAP recommends that children have two hours or fewer of sedentary screen time daily. A study that analyzed the relationship between hours of television viewing, computer use, and the likelihood of being overweight in children found that watching TV for more than 1.5 hours daily was a risk factor for obesity among children between the ages of 4 to 9 years. Despite these recommendations, the average eight-year-old spends eight hours a day using various forms of media [2].

Daytime and nighttime use of electronic devices have negative influences on sleep quality by reducing the number of minutes of sleep and increasing sleep difficulties [3]. Ensuring that children and teenagers obtain the necessary hours of healthy sleep is important for their learning ability. Getting fewer than nine to twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep negatively affects school children’s ability to focus and pay attention, their ability to recall information, as well as their mood and behavior [4].

The more time that children spend in front of screens, the less time they have to engage in physical activities [5]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children spend at least 60 minutes per day, cumulatively, on physical activity. Physical activity helps to improve physical and emotional wellbeing and develop lifelong healthy habits which will help to prevent against chronic disease in the future [6].

The American Academy of Pediatrics Family Media Use Plan is a useful tool for helping families reduce screen time and engage in healthier activities such as face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, and sleep. Help your family stay healthy during COVID-19 by reflecting on the amount of time you spend in front of screens (for both work and entertainment), as compared to hours of restful sleep, time spent together, and time spent engaged in physical activity. 

The Children’s Health Survey Series is written by Kendra Gibbs a local Jupiter resident who recently graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a degree in public health. Kendra has many interests in the field of public health, including food (in)security, children’s health and communication.

This blog posts was reviewed by Dr. Jessica Steier. Dr. Steier is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vital Statistics Consulting and is a member of Healthier Jupiter’s Community Action Committee. Dr. Steier holds a Certificate in Patient Safety from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), as well as the Project Management Institute (PMI).

In our new “Children’s Health Survey Series” we will be posting several articles that share the findings from Children’s Health Behaviors Survey and provide recommendations to parents and families to improve some health behaviors. In 2018-2019, Healthier Jupiter committee members worked with Dr. Ivy Faske, local pediatrician and member of our former Advisory Council, to create a health behaviors survey. The purpose of the survey was to be an educational tool for parents and to facilitate conversation between parents and physicians about their child’s health behaviors. Healthier Jupiter committee members created a short survey and Dr. Faske helped to recruit 3 additional physicians: Dr. Sarrie Katz, Dr. Lynda Bideau, and Dr. Sam Barsky. If you have any additional questions on the Children’s Behavioral Health Survey please contact Healthier Jupiter’s Project Director, Joanna Peluso for more details - 561-263-7579.

The information provided is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. We suggest seeking the help of trained medical professionals and always encourage you to follow their advice. All content including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes only and does not endorse one entity or provider over another.

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[1] The American Academy of Pediatrics. Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics Nov 2016, 138 (5)

[2] Tia Ghose. Pediatricians: No More than 2 Hours Screen Time Daily for Kids. Scientific American. October 2013.

[3] Yolanda (Linda) Reid Chassiakos, Jenny Radesky, Dimitri Christakis, Megan A. Moreno, Corinn Cross.  Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics Nov 2016, 138 (5)

[4] Peg Rosen. 4 Ways Lack of Sleep Affects How Kids Learn. Understood for All, Inc.

[5]  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screen Time vs. Lean Time.

[6] The American Academy of Pediatrics. Energy Out: Daily Physical Activity Recommendations. 2014.