Screen Time - How much is Enough?
Screen Time
A Case Study
What is meant by Screen Time?
"Screen time" is a term used for activities done in front of a screen, such as watching TV, working on a computer, or playing video games. Screen time is sedentary activity, meaning you are being physically inactive while sitting down. Very little energy is used during screen time.
Screen time is the amount of time spent using a device with a screen such as a smartphone, computer, television, or video game console.
“There is also some evidence that children who watch a lot of television during the early elementary school years perform less well on reading tests and may show deficits in attention.”
Why is excessive screen time bad?
- Disturbed Circadian Cycle (sleep cycle)
- Results in Myopia -
- Headaches
- Backache (lack of physical exercise)
- Scientists have linked it to Obesity
- Lack of Self esteem
- Social Isolation
- Hyperactivity
How has Covid-19 affected one's Screen time?
The screen usage of Indians on smartphones moved up from three hours to as much as five hours, and when connected through broadband
, the screen usage moved up from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours, according to Ericsson Mobility Report.
“There is a possibility that a prolonged battle against the COVID-19 virus may lead to an increase in the incidence of myopia by shaping long-term behavioral changes conducive for the onset and progression of myopia,” Chee Wai Wong, MD, and co-authors, wrote in a review paper published in American Journal of Ophthalmology.
As per the new study, around 87% of children had screen time exceeding the recommended time.
Statistics based on Screen Time in India
Average screen time was 6.59 hours in urban boys, 3.28 hours in rural boys, 4.28 hrs in urban girls and 4.07 hours in rural girls. This has largely exceeded the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation of 2 hours or less.
- 54.6% of parents state that their kids are spending about 5 additional hours on an average online in front of a screen.
- The biggest concern a majority - 57% of parents have is that the kids may unknowingly access inappropriate information online and use studying as an excuse to access non-educational content.
- Despite the anxiety however, 57% have not taken any tangible online safety measures to protect their kids from being vulnerable online.
- 75% of parents with teenagers admit to not having any online safeguards while a lesser number, 50% of parents with kids in the age group of 5-10 years have not done so.
"The average of the screen time was found to be 3.8 hours a day. '
Smartphones
The number of smartphone users in India was estimated to reach over 760 million in 2021, with the number of smartphone users worldwide forecasted to exceed to 3.8 billion users in 2021. The number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to amount to nearly 2.7 billion by 2019.
Television
Watching television was the predominant recreational screen-based activity for the adolescents participating in the study. A finding from recent Indian studies also reported watching television for 82 min per school day and 203 min per weekend day. A cross-sectional study on adolescent girls in the United Kingdom had similar observations of television occupying the most of the leisure time activities, average 262.9 min per weekday and 400 min per weekend day.
Out of the total screen time, time contributed by television is 2.8 hours a day followed by other screen activities. About 68% of adolescents reported having screen time more than the recommended (2 hours).
The rapid rise of myopia has been a concern in the past decade, reaching the highest peaks in East Asia, where more than 90% of teenagers and young adults are shortsighted. In the United States, prevalence has doubled, from 20% to 40%, in the past 3 decades.
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