Babies  and  Screen time 

Baby TV shows, touch tablets, and digital phone toys can be likened to lifesavers in managing the ups and downs of raising an energetic infant. But The development of an infant's brain is greatly aided by enriching interactions with their surroundings, and prolonged screen time can limit the opportunity for these vital real-world interactions.

As per AAP advise keeping children away from screens until they’re 18 months old and limiting digital media use for 2- to 5-year-olds to one hour per day.

Negative effects

Sleep Disturbances 

Babies' sleep cycles might be disturbed by screen time, especially right before bed. The hormone that controls sleep-wake cycles, melatonin, is suppressed by the blue light emitted by screens, which makes it harder to fall asleep and disturbs sleep patterns. 

Reduced Attention Span

Infants who are exposed to fast-paced, visually exciting media too often may develop attention issues and a shorter attention span. Babies may find it difficult to focus and maintain attention on activities that take place in real life since screen time frequently entails abrupt scene changes and continual stimulation. 

Risk of Obesity

Overuse of screens is linked to sedentary behaviour and decreased physical activity, which raises the risk of obesity and related health issues in young children and babies. Babies may have fewer opportunity for active play and hands-on exploration if they spend more time in front of screens. 

Impact on Parent-Child Bonding

Overindulgence in screens can impede the development of connection and bonding between parents and children by diverting them from meaningful interactions and attentive parenting. In order to foster healthy emotional development in newborns and strong attachment connections, face-to-face contact with carers are essential. 

Delayed Language Development

Babies mostly pick up language through interactions with carers in real life, where they can see lip movements, gestures, and facial emotions. Overuse of screens can potentially hinder language development by reducing possibilities for in-person engagement and language-rich situations. 

In general, parents and other carers should place a higher priority on in-person interactions, hands-on play, and other developmentally appropriate activities that support healthy growth and development during the crucial early years of life, even though occasional and supervised screen time may be acceptable for infants in limited doses.

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Made by  Vasudha Sharma