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Parents
may not always see it, but efforts to limit their children’s screen time can
make a difference. A new study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found
children get more sleep, do better in school, behave better and see other
health benefits when parents limit content and the amount of time their
children spend on the computer or in front of the TV.
Douglas
Gentile, lead author and an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State,
says the effect is not immediate and that makes it difficult for parents to
recognize. As a result, parents may think it is not worth the effort to monitor
and limit their children’s media use. But Gentile says they have more power
than they realize.
“When
parents are involved it has a powerful protective effect across a wide range of
different areas that they probably never would have expected to see,” Gentile
said. “However, parents aren’t likely to notice that putting limits on the
children’s media is having these effects seven months later.”
Considering
that children average more than 40 hours of screen time a week, not counting
time spent on a computer at school, even small changes can make a difference,
researchers said. They are not suggesting parents completely eliminate screen
time, but find a healthy balance.
The
study found there is a ripple effect associated with the benefits of limiting
both screen time and media content. Gentile is not surprised to see a direct
impact on sleep, academics and behavior. However, limited screen time also
indirectly affects body mass index. The study found that children got more
sleep if parents limited screen time, which also resulted in lower risk of
obesity. Parents limiting exposure to violent media resulted in increased
prosocial behavior and lowered aggressive behavior seven months later.
Researchers
analyzed the media habits of more than 1,300 school children who were recruited
to participate in an obesity prevention program. Students and parents were
surveyed about everything from screen time limits, to violent media exposure,
to bedtimes and behavior. Teachers reported grades and commented on student
behavior and school nurses measured each student’s height and weight.
Data
were collected at the start of the program and seven months later at the end of
the program. By looking at these factors collectively with a group of children
over a school year, it was easier for researchers to identify patterns that are
hard to recognize in individual children.
