It’s difficult but it’s up to parents to be strict

WHAT worries me most about screen time is the effect on relationships, not simply between adults but between parents and children. In my family, phones are banned at meal times or family times. We try to be strict as parents too and keep ours away but it’s not always easy – the kids tell us openly to put the phone away. My 13-year-old daughter has her own phone and my nineyear-old son has his own iPad, but TV time is restricted throughout the week to 30 to 60 minutes.

QWhat advice would you give to parents concerned about children becoming addicted to screen time?

AParents are going to have to lead by example: we can’t tell our kids to turn off YouTube if they see us glued to our own screens. They will grow up mimicking that behaviour. I confess I’m guilty of using the virtual babysitter: it’s simpler, sometimes, to stick an iPad in a demanding toddler’s hands for a few hours when we’re busy, or plump them in front of the TV. But I really believe it comes at a price so should be treated a bit like sugar: very little, as a treat and not for everyday. And don’t get me started on toddlers watching iPads when eating out with their parents.

QHave you seen any difference in patient behaviour as a result of modern screen exposure?

AIt seems so socially acceptable now to check a text in the middle of a conversation. I even have patients checking their phone during GP consultations with me. A mum recently checked her phone messages while I was examining her baby in my clinic. The non-verbal message given here is essentially: ‘I have to look at this as it could potentially be more important than you.’ Staring at the phone rather than engaging with her child is damaging to that relationship.

QDo you treat any illnesses that are a result of too much screen time?

AI have certainly advised reducing screen time for children with obesity or behaviour issues. This is more in the context of suggesting other activities to be doing instead, such as exercise and reading.

I would always recommend reducing screen time as part of insomnia discussions. Often sleeplessness, in adults and children, is made worse by screen time before bed in adults and kids.