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Tag: SCREEN TIME

  • 89% of Indian Moms Worry About Kids’ Screen Time

    89% of Indian Moms Worry About Kids’ Screen Time

    Mothers feel that deep fakes and Gen AI will add to their future parenting worries as they get to see the rising cases along with learning how these can be negatively used to malign the reputation and credibility of individuals…reports Asian Lite News

    A whopping 89 per cent of Indian mothers are concerned about the screen time of their children, according to a report on Sunday.

    The report, released by market research firm Techarc on Mother’s Day, is based on a survey of 600 working mothers, across four metro cities, having at least one child between grade 3-10 in school.

    It explores insights on the digital ecosystem in which mothers operate today viz-a-viz the challenges, concerns, interests, and preferences.

    “Mothers believe that increased screen time affects their studies and has a negative impact on the mental and physical health of their children,” the report said.

    Further, the report showed that privacy (81 per cent), inappropriate content (72 per cent), teenage influencers (45 per cent), deep fakes, and impersonation (26 per cent) were other top concerns bothering mothers.

    Mothers feel that deep fakes and Gen AI will add to their future parenting worries as they get to see the rising cases along with learning how these can be negatively used to malign the reputation and credibility of individuals.

    Among the devices, mothers are concerned about the expected popularity of VR headsets, especially after the launch of Apple Vision Pro.

    Mothers believe that “this form factor will zone out their children who will lose attentiveness towards the environment adding to their distractions,” the report said.

    On the other hand, mothers also found the digital world much more useful and relevant for children, compared to five years ago.

    More than 60 per cent of the mothers spent 51-85 per cent on their children through digital mediums buying various goods and services. Nearly 20 per cent of digital savvy mothers spent more than 85 per cent, the report said.

    Mothers’ most trusted digital partners include Amazon (for shopping), Swiggy (for food), and Disney Hotstar (for entertainment)

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  • Let them play to reduce negative effects of screen time

    Let them play to reduce negative effects of screen time

    The findings come amid persistent concerns over the adverse effects of smartphone use by children, particularly due to the recent Covid-19 lockdowns, which led to more screen time and less outdoor time for kids…reports Asian Lite News

    Reducing the negative effects of screen time on little minds might be as simple as encouraging kids to play outside, suggests a study by Japanese researchers.

    If you have young children, you’re likely worried about how much time they spend staring at a screen, be it a tablet, phone, computer, or television.

    New study by researchers at Osaka University indicates that more screen time at age 2 is associated with poorer communication and daily living skills at age 4 — but when kids also play outdoors, some of the negative effects of screen time are reduced.

    Specifically, almost one-fifth of the effects of screen time on daily living skills were mediated by outdoor play, meaning that increasing outdoor play time could reduce the negative effects of screen time on daily living skills by almost 20 per cent.

    In the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers also found that, although it was not linked to screen time, socialisation was better in 4-year-olds who had spent more time playing outside at 2 years 8 months of age.

    “Taken together, our findings indicate that optimising screen time in young children is really important for appropriate neurodevelopment,” Tomoko Nishimura, from the varsity said.

    The findings come amid persistent concerns over the adverse effects of smartphone use by children, particularly due to the recent Covid-19 lockdowns, which led to more screen time and less outdoor time for kids.

    The World Health Organisation also recommends that 2-year-olds should not be exposed to sedentary screen time — which is defined as activities such as watching TV and playing computer games — for over one hour a day.

    For the study, the team followed 885 children from 18 months to 4 years of age. They looked at the relationship between three key features: average amount of screen time per day at age 2, amount of outdoor play at age 2 years 8 months, and neurodevelopmental outcomes — specifically, communication, daily living skills, and socialisation scores — at age 4.

    Involve your kids in happier activities to reduce screen time.(photo:IANSLIFE)

    “Although both communication and daily living skills were worse in 4-year-old children who had had more screen time at age 2, outdoor play time had very different effects on these two neurodevelopmental outcomes,” explained lead author Kenji J. Tsuchiya, Professor at Osaka University.

    “We were surprised to find that outdoor play didn’t really alter the negative effects of screen time on communication — but it did have an effect on daily living skills,” Tsuchiya added.

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  • Screen time for kids need to be controlled

    Screen time for kids need to be controlled

    As a result, SUPER BUDDY, a speaker that acts as a storyteller, entertainer, and the ideal friend for every child, comes to the rescue…writes N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

     Have your children pleaded and negotiated with you for extended screen time? ‘Just five minutes more please, sounds familiar, right? However, when the five minutes deadline is over, we get to see their tantrums and at times their temper, as if they have some sort of a nervous breakdown.

    The dominance of screens in the lives of children has been a pressing challenge for parents and the pandemic has worsened it exponentially. Parents are constantly worried about their kids spending too much time on screens, and it’s hard to set limits.

    Studies by ‘The American Academy of Paediatrics’ recommends:

    Avoiding screen exposure for children less than 18 months of age,

    Introducing children 18 to 24 months of age to screen media slowly,

    Limiting screen time to an hour a day for children from 2 to 5 years of age,

    However, 87 per cent of children have screen time exceeding these recommendations.

    Increased screen viewing is becoming common in children with working parents being busy and finding inadequate time to spend with them. Also, screen viewing often comes as an easier option for parents as they go about their chores. But can we blame either the child or parent for this? It is an extremely difficult task to keep kids entertained round the clock when they are indoors. Most parents unwillingly cave into more screen time as a last resort despite knowing its harmful effects. Their eyes are the first to be affected due to the constant staring at screens. This is followed by back problems in young kids because they tend to slouch whilst doing this. It directly affects their body posture. It also stifles their creative thinking and interferes with social skills development.

    Experts say that listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks are the only digital activities kids can do on their own, without parental supervision, as much as they want. Audio offers the right level of engagement for kids. It activates their minds while leaving them plenty of space to build their world around what they’re hearing.

    As a result, SUPER BUDDY, a speaker that acts as a storyteller, entertainer, and the ideal friend for every child, comes to the rescue.

    Dinkar Pathak, Founder of Tarbull, says, “Super Buddy is close to my heart because as a father of 2 kids we have experienced the struggles with screens, the internet, and introducing age-appropriate content on a first-hand basis. Modern-day parents need a modern solution and a companion for their kids to help them embark on the journey of less screen time and more story time. Our curated content helps kids unlock a beautiful world of music and stories while keeping them engaged throughout the day without the side effects of screen addiction. It takes your little ones on a path where they can explore their imagination and weave their magic. With Super Buddy, you can give your child a best friend and a teacher without worrying about issues of privacy, inappropriate content, or unhealthy engagement.”

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