How often do we hear that too much ‘screen time’ is bad for the health of our children? It’s gained a bit of a bad reputation, but is it justified?
Since the start of the Pandemic in some instances, a computer screen was the only access children had to daily lessons and although learning loss has been experienced due to the general disruption to face-to-face education, without electronic interaction and remote lessons, the situation could have certainly been much worse.
Screen time is such a large part of our daily lives now, so we should consider if it’s all bad and if not, how can we make screen time productive?
Mixed Reports
Research which points to the harmful effects of screen time has produced mixed reports over the years.
In 2018, Stiglic and Vine undertook a systematic review of 20 studies on the effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents [1], confirming what most of us feel: that excessive screen time is detrimental to physical and mental health.