How much of your day do you spend looking at a screen? If you're like many adults, part of your day may involve a computer, and you're likely to have your phone with you or nearby for most of the day.
However, researchers with Singporeʻs Health Ministry are taking a closer look at what screen behavior means for children, as well as guidelines to help parents decide how much screen time is too much.
The health minister is promising clear and “more definitive” advice to put into practice both at preschools and at home.
The work with children has been going on for some time. Singapore is tracking a cohort of kids conceived in 2009 for a project called “Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes.”
One early finding shows that “pervasive screen time,” before the age of 12 months, can alter brain activity before the child is two years old.
The Ministry of Health has already issued some broad guidelines when it comes to screen time for infants and toddlers, including recommending that children under 18 months not have any screen time.
The suggested limit for those between 18 and 36 months is less than an hour a day.
The Straits Times spoke with a series of doctors at Singpore's KK Women's and Children's Hospital about their work with children and screens.
One of their recommendations for children from ages seven to 12 is that parents develop a screen-use plan or timetable for the entire family — one that also includes other activities such as regular exercise outdoors.
