Experts call for official guidelines on screen use for children

With a technology based childhood many young children are exposed to screen time throughout the day; with the latest research suggesting that this amount of time has risen dramatically in the past 12 years. Children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995, according to market research firm Childwise.

Many professionals and childcare experts have warned that screen time is vastly replacing outdoor play, with the negatives outweighing the positives; however little is yet to be done to stop the decline. Physical health problems such as obesity continue to escalate, with mental health problems in children and young people also approaching crisis levels. Alongside the intense distress caused to families, there are obviously longer-term social and economic consequences for society as a whole.

It has been suggested that if children are to develop the self-regulation and emotional resilience required to thrive in modern technological culture; they need unhurried engagement with caring adults and plenty of self-directed outdoor play. Although access to technology provides many benefits to a children’s learning and development as they grow up in a technology driven world; it has been found that outdoor play dramatically improves they way children learn.

Experts are calling for national guidelines on screen-based technology for children up to the age of 12. Currently there is little government influence over screen time for young children,  with many Early Years setting still incorporating technology such as TV or tablets into their daily routine. This will have some benefits to children’s learning however there needs to be a limit on this, with an emphasis on the children’s development.

With Christmas just passed, many parents will have spent a great deal of money on different technological gifts for their children, such as mobile phones, tablets and games consoles. Parents need to be aware of the impact that too much time spent on these resources can have on their children’s development.

Many Early Years settings are now introducing outdoor classrooms into their provision; with the vast majority reporting a significant difference in the children’s concentration, engagement, language skills and behaviour.

Experts claim that more needs to be done in a bid to reduce the amount of screen time a child has and extend their access to the outdoor environment. It has been suggested that without concerted action, our children’s physical and mental health will continue to deteriorate, with long-term results for UK society that are unthinkable.