Kids getting hooked on iPads
No tablets, PCs or smartphones until the age of 2
CHILDREN should not be given tablets or smartphones to play with until the age of 2, a leading psychologist has warned. And then they should have their daily “screen time” limited to an hour a day until they are at least 5.
Dr Aric Sigman, a psychologist and lecturer in child health education, warned that staring at gadgets early in childhood can lead to “screen dependency disorder”, an addiction to electronic devices.
Writing in the Journal of the International Child Neurology Association, he cited evidence showing that high exposure to computers very early in life alters the structure of the brain.
Although for most children this is harmless, for those who are genetically predisposed to developing dependent habits it can create patterns that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
People with screen dependency disorder become preoccupied, withdrawn, lie about how much time they spend on devices and even display withdrawal symptoms if they are unable to use them, Sigman said.
He said screen dependency is becoming “a rapidly emerging neurological public health issue”, but claimed it is unfashionable to talk about because people do not want to admit the dangers.
A report published in November reported that average British 3- and 4-year-olds use gadgets like tablets two hours a day “on top of watching television for another two hours”. Children aged 5 to 15 spend four hours using similar devices, and also watch TV for two hours.
Sigman said: “We are setting up a generation in which a high number of people will have a problem.” His review cites a 2016 study of 248 children aged 5 to 17, whose brains were repeatedly scanned over three years, which found significant changes to brain tissue density among children who played video games for long periods.
Sigman advised parents to follow the guidance set by the Australian government which says those below the age of 2 should not be exposed to screens at all.
Dr Ben Carter from King’s College London advises everyone put their phones down an hour-and-a-half before bedtime. He found that children and teenagers who use an electronic device within 90 minutes of going to bed are twice as likely to get insufficient sleep, and nearly three times as likely to feel tired during the following day. – Daily Mail WEDNESDAY APRIL 26 2017