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In this digital age, kids are increasingly turning to television, tablets, smartphones and their laptops as sources of entertainment. But all this screen time might not be so good for them. A new study published in JAMA Paediatrics found that kids with limited screen time had better grades, slept better, were less aggressive and had a lowered risk of obesity.
“Parents often feel out of control when it comes to screen time — like they’re either taking a shot in the dark or should just give up,” lead researcher Douglas Gentile, a developmental psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State, told Yahoo Shine. “But what this study shows is that even that shot in the dark is really powerful. Parents have a much more of a profound effect on their child’s wellbeing than they realize.”
Researchers analyzed the habits of more than 1,300 school-aged children from Iowa and Minnesota. Data was collected from the students, parents, teachers and nurses on screen time, bedtimes, exposure to violent media, grades, overall behavior, and participants’ height and weight. They collected this information at the beginning of the study as well as seven months later.
Gentile said that limiting screen time, especially when it came to watching TV, movies and playing video games, improved the sleeping habits, social behavior, grades and even body mass index (BMI) of the participants.
“As parents, we don’t even see our children get taller and that’s a really noticeable effect. With media, what we’re often looking for is the absence of a problem, such as a child not gaining weight, making it even more difficult to notice,” Gentile said, adding that even making small changes can make a difference.
He suggests allocating a certain amount of hours to TV watching and/or video game playing every week. Your kids can choose to use these hours all in one day, or to use it throughout the week. ”It helps them learn to manage their screen time, just like with a monetary allowance,” Gentile said. “Plus it gives them some control and takes the fight away from the parent.”
(By Marissa Brassfield for CalorieLab)
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