In Sweden the public health authority – the Folklore traditions – has released new guidelines advising parents to Never let children under 2 years old use a smartphone (or other tech devices with displays, such as tablet). For children aged between 2 and 5 years, the maximum use of electronic devices should be 1 hour per day and for those aged between 6 and 12 years the maximum suggested use is 2 hours per day. The reason? To limit the negative effects of technology on sleep, behavior and habits.
Use of electronic devices: the effects on sleep
The decision by the Swedish public health authority echoes various studies conducted over time on the potential harms of the use and abuse of technology in various user groups. Some of these critical issues concern in particular the sleep and depressive symptomspartly due to exposure to blue light emitted by device screens.
According to researchers at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, «In the digital age, teens are spending more time than ever in front of screens, potentially to the detriment of their sleep.“. The researchers have in fact come to the conclusion that “Interactive screen use such as gaming and multitasking was particularly problematic although even passive screen activities such as watching movies were associated with shorter sleep duration».
The Swedish Minister for Social Affairs, Jakob Forssmedin a statement reported by the British newspaper The Guardian reported:
For too long we have allowed screens and apps to steal our time and attention at the expense of what we know is necessary to feel good. We know that digital media use can have negative health effectsincluding a worse sleep and symptoms of depression.
Use of electronic devices: the effects on behavior
Sleep loss caused by technology (or other factors) can cause serious behavioral problems. According to what was stated by theNational Institute of Health safeguarding the sleep of children and teenagers is in fact fundamental to avoid irritability, aggression and behavioral addictions of various kinds.
This is also confirmed by a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatricsaccording to which children who spend 75 minutes or more a day in front of a screen at age 3 and a half are more likely to have outbursts of anger and frustration a year later. Caroline Fitzpatrickauthor of the study in question and professor of child development at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, CBS Evening News he said:
It may allow parents to immediately avoid a tantrum (allowing them to use electronic devices, Ed.), but in the long term, repeated use of this type of strategy does not allow children to develop strong internal emotional regulation skills.
