Washington, D.C. – Two national surveys say that United States children spend excessive screen time in front of their television sets and computers every day despite the expert advice of limiting ‘screen time.’
Government Study
The United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims that kids aged between 12 and 15 spend excessive screen time every day watching television and using their computers. The study was extracted from two national surveys. The government study finds that 15% of kids watch TV, while 12% use their computers for more than four hours every day. However, the surveys did not cover the usage of smartphones among the teenagers. The results of the study will initially need urgent care from the teenagers’ parents.
Age of Social Media
Doctor Marjorie Hogan, a pediatrician and a co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that the results are major concerns, although not surprising at all. It is because the recent time is the age of social media. Parents have tough tasks in limiting their children from the use of TV and computers. Hogan advises parents to begin discussing with their children the use of social media as early as possible. The AAP contains guidelines on children’s screen time and could be used by parents as a sort of an urgent care clinic in assisting their kids.
Research Links
The AAP recommends that both children and teens should not devote excessive screen time. The guideline only recommends less than two hours of entertainment media every day. It is due to research links that correlates screen time and health conditions. Aside from possible school problems, kids who spend too much time on TV and computers are more prone to obesity, high blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure. These health conditions linking to screen time may require them for a quick visit to an urgent care near me, allowing immediate attention and care towards their conditions.
Media Consumption Equals Moderation
Hogan emphasizes that the AAP recommendations do not intend to bash the usage of TV’s and computers. The guidelines for media consumption should be understood similar to that of food consumption. The recommendations tend to promote “healthy media diet”, a concept of moderation and how to choose wisely. Urgent care clinics and other experts like Dr. Angela Diaz, New York’s Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center director, strongly advise parents to start with the moderation message as early as now. Diaz points out that excessive screen time among children can be reinforced by convincing them to join other environments such as in sports, music, arts, and other after-school activities.
