Too much of a good thing

Grandparents giving excess screen time

GRANDPARENTS are not only spoiling their grandkids with too many lollies, but are allowing too much excess screen time.

Researchers have found that half the time children aged two to seven spent with grandparents was on a device watching videos or playing with apps. The study, published in the Journal of Children and Media focused on those who took care of grandchildren at least once a week and discovered that in a four-hour visit the children spent two hours on a screen.

Australian guidelines recommend children two to five are limited to less than one hour of screen time each day and should be spending time talking, singing, reading or playing. Those who spend long periods on screens are more likely to have slower development of language skills, poor social skills and an increased risk of being overweight.

“Grandparents play a very significant role in raising their grandchildren. We need to educate them about the impact of media on children’s lives and on proper use that will benefit the wellbeing of their grandchildren,” study co-author Dafna Lemish, professor of journalism and media studies and associate dean for programs at Rutgers University — New Brunswick’s School of Communication and Information.

Some parents give the grandparents instructions on how to handle media use and ironically this can lead to more screen time. Grandfathers in the study allowed more interactive screen time than grandmothers perhaps because they were more comfortable with the technology.

On average, grandparents had more difficulty in managing the media use of boys and older children than of girls and younger children. Boys on average spent 17 minutes more than girls with media-related activities.

The study also found that grandparents allowed more screen time when they cared for children in their own homes, rather than children’s homes, and allowed more screen time when the child brought a device from home.

Jenny Smith, 68, often looks after six-year-old Thomas and two-year-old Charlotte.

“I believe in old-fashioned play. The children are still young so I don’t allow screen time, except to watch a 20 minute show they enjoy on television. We read, draw on the blackboard and have a lot of fun,” she said.