The amount of time children spend in front of screens (i.e. TVs, computers, iPads, and phones) has become a concern among many parents and people who work with children, such as teachers. There has been some controversy over whether excessive screen use has negative effects or perhaps some benefits. Guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that children under the age of two should not be exposed to screens and that children aged two to five should not have more than one screen. hour per day on digital media use. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Another question that may linger in parents' minds is whether information readily available on the Internet is consistent with scientific research articles. An easily accessible online source, WebMD, backs up the information provided in reference to the research. This site claims that excessive time spent using screens (i.e. two hours or more) is associated with decreased cognitive reasoning and a child's ability to concentrate. Decreases in ability to concentrate are hypothesized to be due to advertisements that interrupt regular screen time or continually change between different online games. Spending less than two hours a day on digital media, getting at least an hour of physical activity, and sleeping between nine and eleven hours were correlated with children having the highest cognitive functioning. However, this website did not show whether it was decreasing screen time, or increasing physical activity and sleep, that actually contributed to improved cognitive functioning. Another online Very Well Family article, by clinical social worker Amy Morrin (2018), cites similar findings to the previous website. The claims made in this article are also supported by research. Obesity, sleep problems, behavioral problems, lower academic performance, and aggression have been shown to be correlated with increased screen use (Morrin, 2018). The cause of the increased risk of obesity has been linked to sedentary behavior caused by digital media use. Excessive screen use is also claimed to cause emotional instability and possibly an increase in bullying behaviors. Children who spend a lot of time using screens, especially those who have a television in their bedroom, have lower academic achievement than those who spend less time using screens. Finally, aggressive behaviors have been shown to increase in children who spend too much time on screens, potentially due to imitating violent behaviors they witness on digital media (Morrin, 2018). Throughout this article, it is not clarified what is defined as “excessive” or “too much” screen time. Parents reading this article would therefore have difficulty determining to what extent they should limit their child's exposure to screens. Sophie Domingues-Montanari (2017) is similar to information readily available on websites. This article showed that excessive screen use (beyond AAP guidelines) was linked to decreased physical strength, increased obesity, decreased sleep, as well as decreased cognitive functioning and emotional stability. THE 13 %.