Regular screen time affects child’s development, Greensprings School warns

With realisation that screen time has become an ineluctable reality of modern childhood, with children of every age spending long hours in front of screens, Greensprings School has urged parents to ensure their children engage more in physical activities.

Head of Ikoyi campus of the school, Dolapo Fatoki, who warned of the adverse effect of the regular screen time in kids, said although spending time in front of screens can sometimes be for positive use, as children are able to access various educational apps that help stimulate their brains, screen time has a long term negative impact on the children.

“We understand that busy working mums sometimes leverage on technology to get a break from their children by keeping them occupied with games on their phones or tablet; but we strongly encourage parents to explore more creative ways to engage these children in physical activities. This will prevent them from having a sedentary lifestyle in future and ultimately lead to better and healthy lifestyle.

“The period between birth and age three, in medical terms is called the critical period because the changes that happen in the brain during these tender years become the permanent foundation upon which all later brain function is built. The human brain within this period develops very quickly and is particularly sensitive to the environment around it.

“Thus the negative impact of too much screen time on children based on research shows that those who consistently spend more than four hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight; the group that view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behaviour.