Kids’ play time with screens should be cut to this many hours a week: study

Less screen time means less bad behavior.

In as little as two weeks, parents could see significant improvements in their child’s mental health and behavior by reducing children’s leisure screen time to just three hours weekly, according to a new published in JAMA Network Open.

On average, children spend seven to eight hours per day on screens for entertainment. However, when children drastically reduced their screen time they showed significant improvements in their overall behavior and emotional well-being.

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark analyzed data collected from 89 families with 181 children and adolescents between four and 17 years old.

Half of the families were asked to limit their children’s leisure screen time to a maximum of three hours per week per person — a major change from the average seven to eight hours a day most children spend.

Those who did found that their child improved internalizing symptoms — behaviors that are often hidden reactions to emotions and stress — and their prosocial behavior — those intended to benefit others.

Kids who changed their habits experienced a decrease in behavioral difficulties moving from the “borderline” category to the “normal” category, according to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire standardized assessment.

Avoiding hours of screen time a day helped children better process their emotions and improve their social interactions.

Previous research published in JAMA Pediatrics has shown that children should be prohibited from screen time until the age of 3 as it can lead to developmental delays.

Researchers at Drexel University discovered that babies and toddlers who are allowed screen time are more likely to display atypical sensory behaviors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The researchers also discovered that the amount of screen time the babies were permitted and their age directly impacted their development. Each hour of daily screen time increased the child’s chances of exhibiting sensory problems by 23% at 18 months but dropped to 20% at 24 months.

The one exception is video chatting — as the social benefits are likely helpful to a child’s development.