Screen Time.

Support us
with a donation

Children and Screen Time.

Recently, there seems to be increasing public awareness that many children are on screens way too much. But few people really know the full story about the physical and psychological effects.

How much is too much?

The Ministry of Health recommends less than 2 hrs. per day of passive screen time, but the ‘Growing Up In New Zealand’ study (based on almost 60 eight-year-olds) found that children of this age are viewing screens for an average of 3 hours per day (not including screen time at school). For further information, check out these links:

Now we are eight report reveals unique insight into eight-year olds

NZ kids spend a third of after-school time on screens, call for urgent online regulations

New research around screen time and children’s behaviour

Ministry of Health Guidelines

  • Zero recreational screen time for children under 2.
  • Less than an hour per day for kids aged 2 to 5, and fewer than two hours per day of passive screen time for those aged 5 to 17.
  • Yet, M.O.H. surveys find those guidelines are being exceeded by nearly 90 percent of children younger than 14.

Psychological effects of excessive screen time.

Recently, there seems to be increasing public awareness that many children are on screens way too much. But few people really know the full story about the physical and psychological effects.

How much is too much?

Reviews of the scientific research have noted a range of adverse psychological effects of excessive screen time. For example, a review in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science in October 2022 highlighted the following effects:

  • Symptoms of depression
  • Poor sleep quality
  • Effect on mood
  • Feelings of social isolation
  • Suicidal tendencies:

Reference: “Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review.  Cureus Journal of Medical Science, October 2022

For further information, check out these links:

The impact of screens in early childhood – New research

Study Probes Connection Between Excessive Screen Media Activity and Mental Health Problems in Youth

There are some fairly obvious adverse physical effects of excessive screen time. The more screen time, the less movement and this has implications for health, e.g increased risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Another unsurprising effect is an increased risk of myopia.

Much less obvious but potentially even more serious are health effects from exposure to the pulsed, microwave-frequency radiation from wireless devices such as mobile phones, laptops, iPads etc. For further information, see the ‘research’ section on this site.

Our Sponsors:

EMF Solutions logoCustodi logo

Affiliates