An Analysis of Screen Time's Influence on Young Children's Development

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This essay examines the growing concern of excessive screen time among young children and its detrimental effects on their physical and mental well-being. It explores the association between prolonged screen exposure and issues such as obesity, sleep disturbances, and poor psychosocial development. The essay reviews research from various studies, including systematic reviews and experimental studies, conducted on Australian children, highlighting the impact on cognitive abilities, social interactions, and academic performance. The discussion incorporates relevant theories like social cognitive theory and Erikson's psychosocial model to explain the behavioral and psychological consequences. The essay also considers the role of parents and offers recommendations to mitigate the adverse effects of screen time, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement, healthy screen habits, and the role of teachers in supporting children's development.
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Running head: SCREEN TIME AND YOUNG CHILDREN
SCREEN TIME AND YOUNG CHILDREN
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1SCREEN TIME AND YOUNG CHILDREN
Topic 2. Screen Time and Young Children
Introduction:
A growing proportion of children spend their leisure time in front of screens such as
smartphones, tablets, and televisions. There is a debate going on regarding association between
screen time and harmful effects such as obesity, poor psychosocial wellbeing and lack of
exercise. More than 50% of the Australian children are spending more than two-hour watching
television and playing electronic games which further reduce their social interactions and hinder
daily activities (Domingues‐Montanari, 2017). The researchers highlighted that children of 4 to
5 years spent more than two hours of screen time every day (Aifs.gov.au, 2019). Hence, this
essay aims to address why and how exposure to the screen time is harmful to the children
physically and mentally and the impact of it in the following paragraphs.
Discussion:
Increasing screen time in Australian children is a growing concern due to the high
prevalence of chronic disease and premature morbidity rate. Many researchers highlighted that at
the age of 4 to 5 years, the infants are usually exposed to screen time ( more than 2 hours ) which
increased to more than 3 hours a week-day at the age of 12 to 13 years (Smith et al., 2016)..
Domingues‐Montanari (2017), conducted a systematic review and suggested that excessive
screen time is associated with physical and cognitive disabilities. Excessive screen time increase
the risk of developing obesity, sleeping problems depression and anxiety. The limitation of the
study is that the researchers did not conduct experimental study on excessive screen time of the
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children. On the other hand, Hale and Guan (2015), conducted a systematic review of 67 articles
where the participants were the Australian school-going children and adolescents. The
researchers argued that excessive screen time hinders the normal sleep pattern. However, one
limitation of the study is that researchers conducted secondary, impact the robustness of the
research. The similar kind of explanation was suggested by Zhao et al. (2018), where they
conducted a cross-sectional survey on 20, 324 children aged 3-4 years old from 191
kindergartens. The result of the study suggested that excessive screen time limits the sleep
duration of the children of 4 to 10 years and impact normal physical metabolism and sleeping
quality. Consequently, poor academic performance, poor relationship with peers and teachers are
observed in the children. Children who are exposed to the media content of violence and
aggression usually have a poor sleeping pattern which reflected through their anxiety,
depression, and the tendency of being aggressive with the peers and parents. The limitation of
the study is the excessive sample size which reduces the validity of the study. On the other hand,
Houghton et al. (2015), conducted an experimental study on 1373 males and 1247 females of 8
to 12 years from the Australian government and non-government school. The researchers argued
that televisions is considered as one of the prime contributors which limits the locomotive skills
and physical skills. The children of 4 years to 10 years usually involve in the physical activities
present in the school curriculum. However, increased screen time such as watching television,
watching the computer or playing games limit the tendency of physical activities which further
impact dietary habits, adiposity, and risk of obesity. The limitation of the study is that the
researchers did not consider the role of parents in excessive screen time of the children
While considering the dietary habit of the children, it is crucial to consider meta-analysis
and systematic review of 88 articles of Scaglioni et al. (2016), where researchers argued that
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each additional hours spent with screen time such as watching TV or playing games, increase the
habit of consuming high fat or surgery diet like snacks and reduce the consumptions of
vegetables and fruits. Consequently, the tendency of being overweight and lack of inclination
towards physical activity is higher in the children of Australia. However, one limitation of the
study is that researchers conducted secondary, impact the robustness of the research.
Considering the psychological impact of the excessive screen time, it is a common
parental practice in the Australia where parents, especially working parents involve their children
in excessive screen time for keeping them busy. Consequently, while the majority of the parents
are unaware of the consequences, it has high psychological and cognitive on the children. Hoare,
Jacka, and Berk (2019), suggested that mood disorders are common in children who are exposed
to high screen time such as more than 2 to 3 hours on their weekdays. The underlying reason
behind the development of mood disorder is increased exposure to violent content and increased
exposure to noise which further subjected them to high psychological disabilities such as anxiety,
depression, and trauma. The limitation of the study is that the study failed to consider other
factors behind mood disorder development.
Many pieces of the literature suggested that high exposure to television, especially radio
magnetic waves in the developmental stage hinders development of memory, language, and other
cognitive activities. One of the common impact associated with screen is highlighted by O’Brien
et al. (2015), where researchers conducted an experimental study on the advertisement of the
television. The authors argued that children who are exposed to television are more likely to
develop emotional, social, and attention associated problems. The limitation of the study is that it
did not consider the impact of the other screen devices.
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Considering the documented literature, it can be observed that adolescents are more
likely to develop addictions of alcohol, smoking or other substances if they are exposed to the
media content of these. The impact is premature development of chronic diseases and
compromised IQ. On a contradictory note, Santos et al. (2018), also suggested that screen time
such as playing action-based videogames and watching informational content enhances the pro-
social skills and improve performance-based skills in children. One of the most relevant theories
that can apply in this context in this situation is the social cognitive theory. Bandura's
social learning theory suggested that knowledge acquisition of the individuals are directly
associated with observing others within the context of social interactions, experiences (Helenia
& McLaughlin, 2019). In this case, children who are exposed to excessive screen time with
unhealthy content tend to shape their behavior according to it. This is also applied for the peer
groups of the children with high screen time. Another theory which can be associated with issues
raised in the debate is Erikson’s psychosocial model where the children between 5 to 12 years
usually experience Industry vs. Inferiority (Knight, 2017). In this case, the children usually
developed their values and beliefs according to their peers rather than parents or teacher. In this
case, consequently, those children who are exposed to the high screen time shape their values
according to it and influence the peers for developing similar kind of values. Many literature
highlighted that there is a direct relationship between lower social wellbeing, lower self-esteem,
and excessive screen time. As a result, they frequently involve in conflicts with their parents and
teachers. They also develop behaviors of aggression, violence and substance abuse. Hence,
accurate parental practice is crucial for limiting excessive screen time. On the other hand, recent
evidence on the screen time of the children highlighted that excessive screen time is associated
with low socio-emotional functioning and excessive screen time facilitate the development of
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social exclusion which further impacts the social interactions. Liu, Wu and Yao (2016),
conducted a meta-analysis of 12 cross-sectional studies and result of the study suggested that
children who are exposed to the high screen time tend to develop depression, have poor
academic marks and poor social relationships where parents active role. The limitation of the
study is that the potential bias of other lifestyle factors was not considered.
There is research gap present in the literature review. The majority of the study
incorporated in the review are secondary studies and did not consider the perspective of parents
in excessive screen time. Hence, this debate further required extensive primary study regarding
the role of the parental in the screen time, their awareness for reducing the impact of high screen
time.
Conclusion:
On a concluding note, it can be said that associations between screen time and poor
health outcomes such as obesity, poor psychosocial wellbeing and lack of exercise have been
well-documented in the literature. Majority of the children who are exposed to the high screen
time usually experience poor attention span, social inclusion, obesity, the unhealthy habit of
eating food and depression. In this case, parents are required to involve themselves in limiting
screen time. The parents are required to eat meals without screen, cutting down socializing with
the assistance of media, improve sleep hygiene of their children. The teachers are also required
to take part in these interventions for improving academic performance and interpersonal skills
of the children.
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References
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Available at: https://aifs.gov.au/publications/childrens-screen-time [Accessed 17 Sep.
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