Screen Time

The Screen Time Generation

Are the glowing rectangles winning? The American Academy of Pediatrics seems to think so. In their official newsmagazine, Ari Brown and colleagues report that the pace of change in digital media technology is stretching the ability of their professional advice to keep up. And from doctoral research at the University of Ottowa, Allana LeBlanc concludes:

The majority of children around the world are accumulating large amounts of sedentary time, and exceed current screen time guidelines. We found that the large majority of Canadian children are not aware of screen time guidelines; however, a greater proportion of children could identify physical activity guidelines.

Responding to this glaring discrepancy between expert recommendations and reality, the Academy is moving to revise their guidance about screen time. But simply issuing guidance is not enough. We’ve got to get smart about driving awareness of the need to cut screen time to levels that match popular concerns about sugar and physical activity.

Of course, there’s an inherent conflict here. Those screens are a major means for getting the message out. Oy!

Click here for the doctoral research from the University of Ottowa. Click here for more from the Washington Post and here for more from the AAP News.

Screen Time, photograph © Phil Rogers / flickr

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October 17, 2015