Screen time exposure
Lingokids’ study found that 55% of children aged between 2 and 8 are exposed
to screens for 1-3 hours a day. Additionally, 1 in 3 parents surveyed were
worried that their child is already addicted to screens. Experts emphasized
that screens cannot be avoided entirely in today's world, but the key lies in
guiding children on how to use screens effectively. Dr. Michael Rich, Director
of the Digital Wellness Lab and Professor at Harvard Medical School,
highlighted the importance of not restricting children's screen time but
instead encouraging them to use it interactively.
"There will always be screens in the home environment," noted
Michael Rich, M.D., pediatrician, Director of the Digital Wellness Lab and
Professor at Harvard Medical School. "Interactive screen time is a
language of our time, and it is how we learn, communicate, create and connect
with others. The key is not restricting children's screen time, but rather
guiding them on how to use it".
Monitoring and selecting safe screen time options
The study revealed that only 50% of parents are actively involved in
monitoring and regulating their children's screen time. Experts believe that
parents need to be more vigilant in reviewing what their child is doing on
screens, in case children are exploring unrestricted types of screen time on
apps like YouTube or TikTok or apps for kids that have advertising.
"Ads aimed at young children often promote unhealthy products.
Moreover, they can affect children's critical skills, or collect personal data
and track their online behavior," said Fernando Valenzuela, an
education expert.
Dr. Suzanne Barchers, Chair of the Lingokids Education Board, confirmed
these risks: "Advertisements for children can be inappropriate and
also confusing for them, as they can fall victim to emotional tricks.
What is quality screen time?
Screen time has become a part of daily life and something that cannot be
completely avoided. Therefore, in order to help parents, the study highlighted
the importance of “active” screen time, a type of screen time that promotes
cognitive development, critical thinking, and socio-emotional skills.
"Viewing non-quality screen time promotes passivity, empty
entertainment and distraction without curiosity. It can also displace other
cognitively enriching experiences for children, such as playing with other
children, imagining, or exploring nature," explained Dr. Michael Rich
of the Boston Children's Hospital Digital Wellness Lab. “Quality screen time is
something that challenges, excites curiosity, and asks questions of kids so
they interact and stretch themselves, rather than just feeds them pre-digested
information.”
Learning apps, such as Lingokids, provide interactive content that promotes
that curiosity and motivation making learning fun, dynamic and active,
promoting activity off-screen as well. Examples of this include the yoga
videos, songs designed to keep you dancing and moving or even games that invite
kids to put into practice everyday skills such as brushing their teeth, washing
their hands or recycling.
How to set a good example for children
Parents play a crucial role in setting a good example for their children in
terms of screen time usage. 64.6% of parents surveyed believe that they
themselves spend too much time in front of a screen. Experts stressed the
importance of leading by example and using screens in a way that promotes
beneficial content and healthy habits for the whole family. Parents can try to
limit their screen time hours, especially when children are around, and when
they do engage in screen time, to use their own forms of “active” screen time
like puzzles, reading books and articles, or mindfulness videos.
Key takeaways
The study concludes that screens can be beneficial for children when used
appropriately and interactively. Parents should focus on the content and time
limits, using educational apps and videos to encourage learning, curiosity and
development. By setting good examples and fostering safe and active screen
time, parents can ensure that their children's digital experiences are
enriching, while still being fun.
"We believe in the power of educational screen time to nurture
children's growth and development," says Regina Ascencio, an educator and
neuropsychologist. "Lingokids is designed to provide quality, safe, and
interactive content that promotes healthy screen time experiences for young
learners."
For more information about the study and Lingokids, please visit
Lingokids.com.
Lingokids is an educational tech and media company that is helping transform
the way children can gain traditional educational and modern life skills. Its
unique PlaylearningTM approach puts children in the center of the
Lingokids universe, which provides thousands of engaging, interactive learning
experiences in a variety of mediums and surrounds them with choice and
exploratory child-led learning paths. With a commitment to traditional,
educational objectives for preschool through second grade, Lingokids knows
today’s child needs engineering and empathy; reading and resilience; math
fluency and mindfulness. A captivating cast of original characters seamlessly
brings life to each immersive learning adventure and blends play with a modern
skills curriculum to engage and motivate kids around the globe. Since launching
in 2015, Lingokids has achieved category-leading viewership on YouTube and its
portfolio includes the Lingokids app (Voted Best Original Learning App 2023,
Kidscreen) trusted by more than 60 million families, Lingokids Studios,
Lingokids Podcasts, and Lingokids Music Publishing.
For more information, please visit www.lingokids.com and
follow @Lingokids.
The Lingokids Screen Time Study was conducted via PollFish in June 2023 with
1800 parents with kids between the ages of 2-8.