Now if you are a parent you would know one of the major concerns amongst parents is the increasing Screen time of kids.
So, what is Screen time?
As the term suggests, “Screen time” is the time a person spends staring at digital displays such as computers, smartphones, or tablets.
Certainly, it has potential immediate side effects. In my three years of experience in the field of education, I came across many parents who had the same concern of increasing screen time, and among them, there was a reason which was most talked about.
Screen time is the new bargain for kids. Earlier before the invention of gadgets, the bargain was playtime instead of the current screen time. Now playtime was yet beneficial as it developed the required gross motor and fine motor skills in children but screen time has its opposite effects.
Kids demand gadgets especially mobile phones for having their meals, studies, or in the malls or in restaurants. Screen time is especially harmful before bed. An article from The Conversation explains, “Why to screen time before bed is bad for children?”
The only way to improve their choices is by improving your own choices as parents, “Monkey See, Monkey Do”.
Imposing restrictions will only make them rigid. Here are some tips that may be helpful in reducing their screen time:
- Rather than pushing them for playtime introduce a playtime to them and involve yourself in it.
- Change bargaining of screen time as earning of screen time. That way you can set a time limit.
- Be consistent. Give them better options to kill their boredom in malls or places that are not of their interest.
- Limit your own screen time. Kids do what they see. It is recommended that children in the age group of less than 5 should have a maximum of 1 hour of screen time and children in the age group of 6-12 should be limited to 2 hours max.
- Replace gadgets with books that appeal to them and not ones that you want them to read. Allow them to choose. Remember you want them to reduce screen time!
What are the immediate side effects?
Children exposed to more than two hours of screen time complain of
- Nausea
- Disturbed sleep/wake cycle
- Effect on academic performance
- Social interaction
- Headache
- Pain around shoulder and neck
- Eyestrain
- Dryness or irritation in the eyes
- Grumpiness
- Lack of attentiveness
- Over a long period of time, it can damage the retina.
Why is screen time so harmful?
Most of us know that the light emitted from the screen of digital devices also carries blue light. Blue light is a range of the visible light spectrum which is nearer to the UV range in the Electro-Magnetic Light spectrum which is why it is considered harmful for the human eye. It can cause a long-term effect on the retina with light traveling directly into the eyes.
To understand more about blue light you check out our blog:
Limiting screen time is one solution but with children we know it’s hard to impose restrictions. As a preventive measure, you can use protective eye wears for kids. Most anti-reflective lenses or photochromatic lenses filter UV A and B light and also the harmful range of visible blue light. Using protective lenses or sunglasses will help protect the eyes of children from an early age to prevent long-term side effects on the retina.
Which lenses to choose from?
There are various options available in the market whether visiting your local optical store or buy online.
- The Prevencia lenses by Essilor are would be the first choice of blue cut lenses. The superior quality of the lenses, effective blue light-filtering, and the trust of the brand make it the number one choice.
- Blue light filter lenses by Hoya.
- Blue light filter lenses by Zeiss.
- Blu smartphone lenses by Lenskart that start from as low as 1500 rupees.
- You may find many other cost-effective options at local retail stores.
On a final note, you may not always be able to restrict your child from accessing mobile phones or form healthy habits for their eyes but you can surely take precautions to prevent any damage to their eyes from harmful lights.
