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  • Essay / The health impact of spending too much time on screens

    Screen viewing is used for entertainment purposes and also for learning processes. It's an activity that almost everyone enjoys participating in, especially children. The world we live in has recently become virtual and almost every household uses one or more types of screens. Most children have screens at their disposal, ranging from television screens to computers, tablets, smartphones and video games. The surprising truth is that even toddlers spend time looking at the screen for calming and entertainment purposes. Recent studies have shown that children are spending more time on screens than ever before (Christakis et al., 2013). For this reason, many experts have suggested that screen time be monitored and regulated by parents and guardians. The underlying reasons are risks of developing obesity, behavioral problems, irregular sleep patterns and impaired academic performance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Increased screen time in children increases the risk of overweight and obesity. This is attributed to a combination of poor dietary habits, reduced physical activity, and exposure to television advertising (Cairns, Angus, & Hastings, 2009; Liang, Kuhle, & Veugelers, 2457-2463). Children are likely to eat unhealthy foods like snacks and soft drinks and avoid eating healthy fruits and vegetables because watching TV distracts them and decreases their awareness of the type of foods consumed. Second, excessive TV watching is a passive activity that prevents you from burning excess calories, hence increasing weight. Exposure to television advertising influences children's food preferences. The foods advertised are usually unhealthy processed foods. When a child notices a visually pleasing food advertisement, he gets the food to experience how it tastes, and it eventually becomes a habit. When children fail to balance physical activity with limited screen time, they are three to four times more likely to become obese than physically active children (Laurson et al., 2008). Additionally, a research article from Strasbourg (2011) showed that for every additional hour a five-year-old spends watching television, the risk of adult obesity increases by 7%. Excess intake of 50 kcal per day results in an increase in weight of five pounds per year (Strasburg, 2011). The second reason why it is necessary to regulate screen time in children is that it leads to irregular sleep patterns. This mainly occurs when parents or guardians responsible for a child do not set rules regarding sleep time and especially for children with a television in their bedroom and/or video games (Garrison et al., 2011 ). Without limitation, the child is more likely to sleep beyond the required duration and over time it becomes a habit and routine. This will eventually impact sleep patterns, difficulty falling asleep and loss of sleep which leads to fatigue and lack of concentration. According to a research article by Garrison et al. (2011), children spend an average of 72.9 minutes on a multimedia screen each day, including 14.1 minutes after 7:00 p.m. In the study, eighteen parents reported at least one sleep problem in children with a television in their bedroom and the model used showed that every hourExtra television viewing in the evening was associated with poor sleep. Limiting screen time is essential to prevent the development of behavioral problems in children. Elementary school children who spend more than two hours a day watching computer games or television are more likely to develop problems with attention, emotional abuse and social health. An article by Mayo Clinic staff (2015) states that exposure to video games is linked to attention problems in children and excessive viewing of television at age four is linked to bullying at the age of six. However, another article by Parkes, Alison et al. (2013) found that watching television for more than three hours at the age of five led to an increase in behavioral problems at the age of seven, but not video or electronic games, playing and watching. . Violence among children is likely to increase due to certain content that children watch in television programs and video games. Programs that are not suitable for children and are not regulated feature violent activities aimed primarily at adults. Since children, especially at the preschool level, are developing and tend to imitate what they see in their environment, limiting screen time is necessary. Aggression and prosocial behaviors displayed on screens may be adopted, and the child may believe that violence is a way of life and a normal way of resolving conflicts (Christakis et al., 2013). For children to improve their academic performance, screen time is essential. be limited. Increased screen time reduces time spent studying and concentrating in class. Children who have a television in their bedroom are more likely to perform lower on tests than those who do not have a television in their bedroom. This means that they only focus on TV programs without spending time on studying. With the reduction in physical activity caused by increased screen use, children's academic performance is likely to suffer further. Physical activity has been linked to improved academic performance because it keeps a child focused and mentally active. Aguilar, Macarena M. et al. (2015) in their research article, they found that academic performance is associated with a higher level of cardiorespiratory fitness, but increased screen time harms academic performance. For screen time to be limited, effective parents and guardians must develop family rules that regulate screen time. The rules should specify times when they watch TV or play video games and go to bed. A parent must make sure to be strict and explain their reasons for regulating screen time. Paying attention to how the child acts during and after looking at a screen can help you know if their behavior is changing. This requires monitoring the content of television programs and video games. A television show that is suitable for an eight-year-old is not suitable for a three-year-old. Parents must use their judgment in knowing what types of programs are appropriate for each age group. The parent can also look at media reviews, but should be careful because some TV shows rate their programs, for example PG-13 (parental advice for thirteen year olds), but this does not mean that all content is suitable, or children aged 13..