Screen time is something we all need to approach in moderation. Too many hours spent sitting down in front of a desk, or scrolling through your phone, can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. And this damage can be tenfold when it comes to your kids.
After all, too much screen time can prevent children from developing in the way they should. They don’t go outside as much as they need to, and at the very least they strain their eyes and need glasses a little sooner than you expected! But that’s not where the potential health effects end; here are three of the most common side effects of too much screen time in your child’s life.
Not Enough Sleep
If your child is spending too much time on a screen, you might not even know about it! They could boot up a phone or a tablet in the middle of the night and lose out on their kip, and the light from the technology in front of them will make it very hard for them to get back to sleep.
But even if your little one has no access to tech during the night time, an overuse of it during the evening can delay the melatonin release in your child’s system. That can make bedtime much more of an ordeal for everyone involved, and all thanks to a few too many games and/or videos on the iPad!
Neck and Back Aches
Hunching over a screen all day can do a number on your back and neck, even when you’re a kid and your muscles are a lot more flexible and supple than an adult’s! As a result, your child may end up complaining of back or shoulder pain, and they may have a noticeably poor posture.
What can you do to help them here? Ensure they step away from the screen, of course, and spend more time stretching to help their muscles flex once again. However, if the pain is severe enough, you can take them along to a Pediatric Chiropractor to get those aches soothed out by a professional. You can also get some advice on preventing the same problem from occurring in the future, especially if your child loves playing games on their tablet!
Anxiety Issues
Having a computer or phone in hand all day can expose your child to things that upset or frighten them, even if you’ve put parental locks on certain websites. And not only that, but research has also found that the more screen time a child gets, the higher their anxiety levels can be, due to focusing difficulties elsewhere in their life. Kids can get much more emotional and hyperactive if they overuse screens, and have less experience of what the rest the world has to offer.
Too much screen time can be damaging to your child’s health. Everything in moderation; screen time is useful, but it should always be limited, even as an adult!
