Now that we are living in a pandemic, we unfortunately cannot interact with others the way we could 6-8 months ago and are now adding so much more screen time to our lives via school, therapy appointments, connecting with peers/family etc.

It is becoming a part of our daily routine now more than ever.

For some kids, it is making them irritable, agitated to transition, disconnected, craving more once they are done and going into full blown meltdowns when they don’t get any. But what is it doing on the inside? Child’s brains are still growing and will be till the age of 25, so putting them in front of a screen for hours on end, inhibits the growth of brain development and sensory processing abilities. This article explains the affect from the blue light emission on their brains and the hyper speed of screen media not lining up with the speed of our daily life. This is inhibiting the self regulation that a child needs to have emotional control.

Sleep….ZZZZZZ

We spend one-third of our lives sleeping. It is just as vital as food and water and we need it to function in work, play and relationships. According to News in Health , sleep affects growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health. How much sleep is really needed? Check out this breakdown of sleep for certain age groups to see if you and your child are getting enough to build these important aspects of our body.

So how does screen time affect your child’s sleep/behavior?

When adding in too much screen time, especially before bed, your child’s brain is put into an un-natural state of arousal making the process of sleep much harder, as the child is not able to completely relax and move through the full stages of appropriate sleep patterns. This article talks about the importance of monitoring screen time as it directly affects sleep and your child’s behaviors in the long term. This then increases stress, making their nervous system in a constant state of fight or flight. They then struggle to have appropriate self regulation to cope with all of the environmental stimulation going on in our stressful world.

So what sorts of solutions do we have to help children balance screen time appropriately?

**Take a break! Get outside! Monitor it as much as possible. Yes there are those days where it can get out of hand, but don’t make it a consistent pattern because then your child will want/crave it more and more and will poke you until you give in, as it is easier.

**Have a schedule! Once all of the needs are taken care of (self care, movement, chores, homework etc) then limit it to 30 mins day at most to encourage other healthy activities.

**Find other hobbies! Books, puzzles, coloring/crafts, board games, explore a new place outside (check out this scavenger hunt!) to help balance this increase in our digital world.

This short article explains some other ways to change your screen time use in a more healthy way so that it does not replace daily activities like sleep, building relationships and exercise.

Stay safe and healthy!

-SP4K