Swedish health authorities have released new recommendations to limit screen time for children and adolescents.
Children under the age of two should not use digital media such as TV, smartphones, or game consoles, and teenagers should limit their time to a maximum of three hours, according to new recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Sweden, The Guardian, Euronews and others.
According to the guidelines, children ages 2 to 5 can use screens for up to one hour a day, those ages 6 to 12 can use screens for no more than two hours a day, and those ages 13 to 18 can use screens for up to three hours a day. The guidelines also include advice for parents and guardians to think about how they use screens with their children and to explain what they are doing when using their phones in front of their children.
The recommendations are a significant reduction from the average screen time currently spent by Swedish children and adolescents: for example, children aged 9 to 12 spend an average of four hours a day using screens, while adolescents aged 17 to 18 spend more than seven hours a day using screens, excluding schoolwork.
“Digital media use can have negative health consequences, leading to sleep disturbances and worsening symptoms of depression,” said Jakob Forsmed, Sweden’s Minister for Social Affairs.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden also recommends that children not use screens before bedtime and that smartphones or tablets not be used in the bedroom at night, citing some studies that have linked screen use before bedtime to poor sleep.
Helena Frielingsdorf, an investigator at the Public Health Agency, emphasized that parents should be role models for their children when it comes to screen use.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in 2019 that it does not recommend ‘sedentary screen time’ such as watching TV or playing computer games for children under the age of 1. It also said that screen time for children aged 2, 3, and 4 should be limited to less than 1 hour, and that the less screen time the better.
Experts commissioned by the French president earlier concluded after a three-month scientific study that children under the age of three should not be exposed to any screens, including television, and that no child should have a mobile phone before the age of 11.
French schools are piloting a ban on mobile phone use for students under 15, with plans to expand the “digital pause” nationwide from January next year if it is successful.
Reporter Park Hae-sik, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-09-04 13:39:32