Not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is harmful to child health
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published new guidance to help parents manage their children’s screen time.
It said there was not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is harmful to child health at any age, making it impossible to recommend age appropriate time limits.
Dr Max Davie, officer for health promotion for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said: ‘Technology is an integral part of the lives of children and young people. They use it for communication, entertainment, and increasingly in education.
‘Studies in this area are limited but during our research analysis, we couldn’t find any consistent evidence for any specific health or wellbeing benefits of screen time, and although there are negative associations between screen time and poor mental health, sleep and fitness, we cannot be sure that these links are causal, or if other factors are causing both negative health outcomes and higher screen time. To help us develop a better understanding of this issue, I urge both more and better research, particularly on newer uses of digital media, such as social media.’