Too Much Screen Time for Aussie Kids

Too many Australian children being permitted to participate in screen based activities for periods of time that exceed the national guidelines. Subsequently there is a risk of potential harms, especially for children under 3 years of age, according to the authors of a research letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Adherence to screen time recommendations for Australian children aged 0–12 years by Leigh Tooth, Katrina Moss, Richard Hockey and Gita D Mishra Med J Aust 2019; 211 (4): 181-182.

Department of Health guidelines recommend that children under 2 years have no screen time, and a limit of one hour per day for those aged 2 to 5. Further, a limit of 2 hours of recreational screen time per day is recommended for 5 to 17-year-old children.

University of Queensland researchers, led by Principal Research Fellow, Associate Professor Leigh Tooth, from the School of Public Health, analysed data collected in 2015.

Source: IStock

It was found that for babies aged 12 months the mean daily screen time was 50 minutes on weekdays and 58 minutes on weekends; for toddlers aged 2 years, it was 91 minutes on weekdays and 105 minutes on weekends.

The numbers of children whose daily screen time exceeded the recommended maximum were largest for children aged 1-4 years. For this age group taking up screen time is of greater concern because longer screen times have an increased risk of poorer developmental outcomes. While long periods of screen time on weekends among children of all ages reduces their active play time posing implications for their general health.

Further research into the potential harms of screen use for babies and young children needs to undertaken. Strategies to help parents adequately manage their children's screen time need to be sought for use from infancy to late teems.

Contact your Librarian if you can't access the PDF of this important letter.