Recent reports highlighting the dangers of WiFi and the prevalence of heart disease symptoms in children have raised questions about the amount of time our little ones spend sitting with their tech devices.
In an age where tech devices reign, MummyPages investigated how our mums are dealing with this issue in their homes.
The influence of technology is clear from our survey results, which showed that a whopping 85% of the parents have a child who is a tabletowner.
It's not surprising, then, to learn that screentime (time spent watching TV or using tablets, PCs, laptops, phones etc.) is a big part of the modern child's day, with the majority (80%) of participants revealing that their children dedicate an average of one to three hours daily to screentime.
A concerning issue
Worryingly, 10% of mums who took the survey said their children took in five hours' worth of screentime or more each day. Given how a lack of exercise is one of the biggest factors behind cardiovascular disease, this is a concerning finding.
One of biggest issues raised by our survey was the negative effect these devices seem to be having. While mums didn’t feel screentime lessened time dedicated to schoolwork, they did notice the following worrying changes in their children:
- 24% showed signs of lower concentration
- 32% had become increasingly withdrawn from family participation
- 32% now spent less time on outdoor activities
- 12% spent less time hanging out with friends in person
While 42% of mums admitted to concern over the amount of time their children devote to tech devices, over half are now worried about the dangers of WiFi, after researchers found that radiation emitted by wireless devices can be extremely harmful to children.
The pros and cons for our little ones
The majority of mums (77%) who expressed worry were parents of two to fiveyearolds, flagging a need to look closely at the ramifications of tech devices for younger children.
One mum, while worried about potential negative effects, pointed out the benefits of supervised screentime. “It has really helped my son learn colours, numbers, shapes, alphabet, etc but we still make time every day to read books and play different board games, so not all the learning is done on the computer.”
Preschool expert Sinead Hamill of Rhyme Time Education says that acquainting children with technology comes with pros and con and warns that parents need to maintain a balance in order to promote wellrounded development in their children.
“Social skills, recognising emotions in themselves and others, communicating and expressing themselves are typical and hugely important skills preschool children should be learning and developing. If they’re not spending enough time interacting with others, adults and peers, they won’t have adequate opportunities to practice these skills and may potentially become social outcasts, be less confident and unable to deal successfully with social interactions,” she adds.
