By Jackie Sand – 06.05.2017 – Photo by: BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives
Babies and Toddlers on Tablets or Smartphones might suffer speech delays a new research shows.
Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting – San Francisco, Ca – May 6-9, 2017
Catherine Birken, MD, M.Sc., FRCPC
According to Dr Birken and her team from the University of Toronto and The Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto – every 30 minutes of screen time increased the risk of delayed speech for babies and toddlers by 49 per cent.
The study involved nearly 900 children aged between six months and two years and is being presented this coming weekend at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in San Francisco.
It suggests the more time children under 2 years of age spend playing with smartphones, tablets and other handheld screens, the more likely they are to begin talking later.
A survey revealed that children in Britain under the age of three spend an average of 44 minutes a day using handheld devices. It is the first time researchers have shown it can impact their language skills.
Dr Birken said all screen media should be discouraged in children younger than 18 months.
Our team here at 7minutesonline believe strongly all media, screen times and games should be limited to an absolute minimum and rather encourage our young generations to engage with each other, with nature, including reading books and being exposed to ‘quiet times’ where creativity, self-reflection and discovery can happen.
The University College London conducted a recent study and found that screen time can also impact the sleep of infants, and possibly harm their brain development.
Sufficient sleep for infants, toddlers and adolescents is crucial for their brain development and mental health as has been stated in previous studies.
The researchers believe that the blue light from screens can affect the body clock, by disrupting the circadian rhythms while the stimulation caused by the content of the games or programmes can cause psychological and physiological arousal leading to possible mental health problems in the future. This is not just a growing issue for the young generation, but for adults alike.
Suggested further reading regarding exposure to wireless phone radiation
http://www.saferphonezone.com/category/media/