Pandemic linked to significant jump in screen time for kids
Whether it was playing video games, doing homework or watching television, research out of Western University in London, Ont. found children were spending a lot of time in front of screens during the height of the pandemic restrictions.
“It went from just over two hours a day to almost six hours a day. Some parents reported their children were on screens for 13 hours a day,” said Emma Duerden, an assistant professor in Western’s Faculty of Education and a Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Learning Disorders.
Duerden and a research team that included members of Western’s Brain and Mind Institute (Diane Seguin, Elizabeth Kuenzel and J. Bruce Morton) conducted an online survey directed at parents with children ages six to 12.
The team was trying to evaluate how parents and children were faring during the restrictions, but the screen time numbers stood out.
"It's recommended [by the Canadian Paediatric Society] that for children over the age of five, that they have about two hours of screen time a day. So when we're seeing almost triple that amount a day, with some children really surpassing that, it becomes quite worrying," Duerden said.
The research was conducted at a time when schools were closed, playgrounds were taped off and socializing was limited. Parents were also facing their own workplace challenges.
"We don't know about the long-term effects of screen time on children's brain development and behaviour,” explains Duerden. “We do know that when we're sitting down and watching screens we're not doing other things that are very healthy for brain development. Things like exercising, reading, socializing with others."
One of the key questions is whether the screen time behaviours will stay with children beyond the pandemic. The Western team started that research in November of last year and it's ongoing, but early indicators show higher screen times are persisting.
"We're not seeing any changes in terms of decreases in screen time. So it's still high and it's staying high."
Duerden encourages parents to use the three M’s — ensure moderate use of electronics, monitor what children and seeing, and make screen time count by emphasizing educational opportunities.
She also says parents should pay close attention to changes in mood and behaviour during and after children have had screen time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It’s discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.