Groundbreaking research: It’s not screen time that matters for children, but its content
A study has discovered that, contrary to popular belief, spending time in front of screens can be beneficial for children.
When it comes to kids’ screen time, focusing on how long and how they use devices may be less important, experts say.
Australian researchers analyzed more than 2,000 studies covering more than 2 million children to determine the pros and cons of screen time in children.
They found that when it comes to displays, it is more important to consider the type of content viewed rather than how long the content is viewed.
More screen time in general is linked to poorer learning outcomes, but a more “complicated” picture emerges when the type of screen time is taken into account, the researchers said.
THE CONTENT ITSELF TURNS OUT TO BE IMPORTANT
“We found that it is the nature of the interaction that matters,” researchers from the Australian Catholic University wrote in results published in Nature Human Behavior. “It is clear that digital platforms can serve good purposes with their content, such as improving educational outcomes.”
“But digital platforms can also cause harm. Social media is a clear example of this. “We have consistently seen associations with detrimental outcomes such as depression and risk taking, and have found no meta-analyses showing benefit.” said.
Surveys show an average USAIt shows that young people spend 7.5 hours in front of the screen every day.
Researchers also found that children who watched television with their parents had increased literacy compared to those who stayed in front of a screen alone.
Researchers have suggested that watching television with parents may improve reading scores because parents often direct what the child watches, thus increasing the likelihood of watching an educational program.
