He is concerned about disparities in the materials schools send to pupils. “The real issue is what’s being done on the screen,” said Paul Howard-Jones, a professor of neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol. Experts stressed that not all screen time is equal. Parents also worry about the impact of excessive screen time on children’s mental and emotional development. In addition to this, there are reduced exercise opportunities, increased anxiety and lack of routine.” There would appear to be a number of factors around this, with increased screen time being one. Vicki Dawson, the chief executive and founder of the Sleep Charity, said: “We have seen a significant increase in children experiencing sleep problems since the pandemic. With a lot of older children, one thing parents say is they cannot get them to sleep as they have busy brains at bedtime.” “It’s not just screens that are an issue but … content. They are hearing and seeing things about Covid-19 and worry about how that will impact on their families and friends,” said Gurney. “We are seeing a huge rise in people coming to us about sleep problems among children. The Millpond Sleep Clinic in London has reported a doubling in demand, according to its founder, Mandy Gurney. It is also possible that spending long periods looking at nearby objects, including screens and books, affects eye growth, Wang said.Ĭoncern about excessive screen use extends beyond eyesight. It is uncertain whether the rise was caused by more time spent on screens or less time outdoors, but previous studies have suggested daylight exposure is key: sending children outdoors for an extra 40 minutes on school days resulted in a 10% reduction in the prevalence of myopia after three years, one study found. “It is definitely clinically significant, especially as there’s evidence that a small decrease of diopter may lead to a significant change in, especially for young kids.” “It means that more children aged 6 to 8 – maybe twice as many as last year – are in need of glasses to achieve their best visual acuity,” said Dr Jiaxing Wang at Emory University in Atlanta, who led the research. Data from more than 120,000 Chinese schoolchildren published in Jama Opthalmology last week suggested a threefold increase in the prevalence of shortsightedness among six- to eight-year-olds in 2020 – most likely caused by them being confined to their home with schoolwork delivered online between January and May.Īmong this age group, eyesight deteriorated by -0.3 diopters on average, equivalent to a 0.25 increase in prescription strength. The average daily time spent on apps rose by 15%. Based on anonymous online habits data provided by 60,000 families, website and app visits in the UK were up by more than 100% this month compared with January 2020, spurred by YouTube, TikTok and BBC News.
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