Parents need to recognise the risks of screens
PROFESSOR ROBERT WINSTON DISCUSSES WITH LIS A SALMON THE PERILS OF CHILDREN SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ONLINE
THE pandemic has changed many things, and one of them is the amount of time both young and old spend online. New research has found that during lockdown, children’s tech use almost doubled – kids in the UK were spending more than nine hours a day using internet- connected devices, up from five hours a day previously.
The research, by cyber safety company NortonLifeLock, also found that while three- quarters of parents say technology was essential to help their child keep learning during lockdown, nearly half admit they didn’t always know what their child was doing online, with 73% concerned about their child’s exposure to online risks.
They’re risks eminent fertility pioneer Professor Robert Winston, who presented the long- running BBC series Child of Our Time, is well aware of. We caught up with him to ask a few questions…
Is prolonged screen time bad for children?
THERE’S quite a lot of evidence that very prolonged use of screens is harmful, though probably not for the first three or four hours, but after that, there’s a risk of various issues for children, which include depression and strange behaviours.
During the pandemic there’s been a complete change in behaviour and a very substantial number of parents, probably over half, are concerned about the amount of time their children are using screens. But during the pandemic they’ve been unable to supervise them always, and if they’re a single parent or they’re both working, it can become a real problem.
What are the concerns around children spending so much unsupervised time online?
WHEN a child is unsupervised on a computer they can gain access to websites which might be damaging to their health, wellbeing and relationships.
Leaving aside the issue of pornography and violence, there’s a risk of them seeing distressing things which might give nightmares to children of all ages. We certainly know that during the pandemic, adolescent children have been more susceptible to depression and self- harm, particularly girls. In addition, adolescents are more likely to be using social media, and that brings the risk of grooming and a whole load of other issues where unscrupulous individuals may try to subvert a child in a way that’s not acceptable.
I’m not in any way condemning the use of digital information, because it’s clearly a major step forwards in education – we just haven’t learned to use it properly.
What should parents do to keep children safe online?
THE first step is to be aware there’s a potential risk – and being prepared to communicate more often with your children is important, and to recognise there’s a need for family time. Also, there are two issues which will affect all children during the pandemic
– one is isolation, and the other is the fear in a population that sees itself being threatened by a virus which looks like being really rather horrible. Of course, it’s very difficult for a child of seven to escape the knowledge that there are people dying as a result of the virus.
Is it risky to just leave children to it online?
I’m not in any way condemning the use of digital information, because it’s clearly a major step forwards in education – we just haven’t learned to use it properly. Professor Robert Winston addressing children’s online activity
I THINK there’s a health warning there. You can’t do everything with just software and you can’t do everything by just preventing children from using the hardware. Putting a program on your laptop
or tablet enables parents to have some security that their children aren’t going to see things which are frightening or worrying, and I think that’s important.
It’s not the whole story, of course, we have to find lots of ways of using this media in a more effective way.
Are enough people aware of online safety risks?
IT’S absolutely clear that far too many people use computers too casually, and don’t realise the risk they run in doing so. With any reasonably new technology we need to recognise there’s a downside
– a car or an electric scooter. for example, are good fun, but actually the risk of accidents is great, so you’ve got to take certain precautions. That’s certainly true with computers.
Should parents limit screen time?
A LOT of parents do limit screen time, and that’s probably the right way to go forward. Parents limit computers, hand- held devices and television as well. Television is a very educative medium, but overused there are risks to the developing child’s brain. The brain is very plastic in young children, and what they’re exposed to certainly affects their learning ability later on. So the healthiest child will have a wide range of experiences, not just looking at a screen. Some research says you might go for a bit longer than two hours without any risk, but it’ll vary on the child, and their imagination, their security at home, whether they feel loved, whether they feel anxious. Different children will require different approaches.
Should parents stop children taking devices to bed?
THE given knowledge is, yes, but there is a statistic which shows almost half of all five- year- olds are used to watching a television screen, sometimes on their own, before going to bed. That may not be entirely healthy, and there’s some evidence that there’s more risk of harm later on in life if you do that. One of the issues is mental ill- health and depression, but the data isn’t absolutely clear.
Are children savvy about online safety?
MY 11- year- old grandchild gave me a lecture in the garden on Sunday, and he pointed out the risks that using software involves with lack of privacy. And when I looked up his references, I saw he was completely right.
About half of parents are making up the rules as they go along. The more we talk to our children, the better educated and more balanced they’ll be, and there’s nothing like face- to- face eye contact. Humans communicate with their eyes and face, in all sorts of ways and not just with sound, and an electronic instrument is quite artificial in terms of our natural biology.”
Professor Robert Winston has teamed up with NortonLifeLock to launch its new Pandemic Parenting report