April 2023

 

SCREENS FOR CALMING: USE CAUTION

by Radesky et al.

 

Screen time takes another hit! Radesky et al published an interesting article in the JAMA Pediatrics, December 12, 2022 issue

 

A careful study involving 422 children with a mean age of 3.8 years, a range of 3-5 year olds, was made. They found that the frequent use of screen mobile devices for calming young children to be adversely affecting the development of executive functions and emotional regulations.

 

I guess it is easier to put a mobile screen device in front of your child when behavior control is lost than to parent.

 

One need not guess, but a cell phone or a small screen device is a poor substitute for a parent to achieve control of a small child who has “lost it”. The easy way out is frequently not the best way.

 

The article was reviewed in the AAP publication “Grand Rounds” in the March 2023 edition, page 32. The review emphasized the AAP parental recommendations of no more than 1 hour/day of screen time for children under 5 years. The reviewer noted a 2017 study that showed children under 5 years averaged 2.4 hours of screen time.

 

Quoting from the review, “Unstructured playtime is more valuable for the developing brain than any electronic media exposure”. Once again, no one said parenting is easy. But good parenting leads to well-balanced teens, the goal of all Moms and Dads.