If the iPad or tablet sometimes feels like the third parent to your little one, you’re not alone. In this digital age, screens are a huge part of our lives, but they’re a relatively new concept and everyone is still figuring out their effects.
What counts as screen time? This refers to time spent looking at cell phones or tablets as well as time spent watching TV, playing video games or looking at a computer screen.
Did you know? Saudi Arabia is a highly digitized country and our children spend more time online than most.*
How do screens affect my child? There’s no evidence that screens are harmful, although their effects are still being researched. The main complaints from parents with older children involve cell phones affecting children’s sleep patterns** or distracting them at mealtimes. Until more thorough research is done, though, it’s wise for parents to set ground rules from a young age and moderate usage, especially in little ones who are still developing.
Did you know? 65% of parents in Saudi Arabia feel bad about the amount of time they themselves spend browsing the web** (the highest rate across EMEA).
How long should my little one be looking at a screen? There’s no universal answer and different countries have set different guidelines. In the US, guidelines recommend avoiding screen media (other than video chatting) in little ones younger than 18 months, while the Canadian Paediatric Society advises no screen time for children aged two and under. Many countries have no official guidelines.
Our advice? It’s up to you when you feel it’s the right time to introduce screens to your toddler. Try to plan plenty of screen-free family time and encourage free play with toys as well. Sometimes screens may feel like the only option to avert a tantrum, but most of the time good old-fashioned face-to-face engagement with mommy and daddy can’t be beaten!
* Reference: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1435611/media
** Study by Norton sampling nearly 7,000 parents with children between the ages of 5 and 16 years across raw Middle East and Europe
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