Don’t leave kids to their own devices: Promoting healthy screen-use in children and teens

TORONTO - Digital media are part of everyday life for children and adolescents. While most Canadian parents are concerned about how much time their children spend with digital devices, how screens are used is as important as how much they are used. That’s the message in a new position statement from the Canadian Paediatric Society.

The statement, released today, outlines the potential benefits and risks of digital media for children and adolescents over the age of 5. For school-aged children (5-12 years old), high-quality, immersive programming that is co-viewed with family can be educational and promote positive social skills. Children this age, however, appear to be more vulnerable to negative outcomes from heavy screen use, including depressive symptoms.

While adolescents who spend a moderate amount of time on digital technology benefit from online friendships, studies show negative effects associated with zero use or excessive use.

Screen use close to bedtime can also negatively impact sleep, and excessive use is correlated with increased sedentary time, weight gain, and body image concerns.

The statement encourages parents to be aware of what their children and teens are doing online, to be as involved as possible, and to moderate their own screen time.

“Each child or teen – and each family – has different needs. So it’s more useful to focus on how screens are being used and ensuring that screen-use isn’t interfering with other aspects of their life,” said Dr. Michelle Ponti, a paediatrician in London, Ontario and chair of the CPS Digital Health Task Force. “We need to prioritize school activities, physical activity, sleep, and social activities like family meals before reaching for a device.”

To promote healthy digital media use, the CPS recommends that parents:

• Manage screen use: Make a family media plan; be present and engaged when screens are used; speak proactively with teens about acceptable and unacceptable online behaviours.
   
• Encourage meaningful screen use: Prioritize face-to-face interactions, sleep, and physical activity over screen use; choose developmentally appropriate content; be part of their children’s digital lives; and prioritize screen use that is educational, active, or social.
  
  Model healthy screen use: Have daily “screen-free” times; turn screens off when not in use; turn screens off at least an hour before bed; do not text while driving or biking.
   
• Monitor for problematic screen use such as: complaints about being bored or unhappy without access to digital technology; challenging behaviours in response to screen time limits; screen use or time that interferes with face-to-face interaction, physical activity, school, or sleep; negative emotions after using social media, texting, or playing video games.

This position statement was funded with an unrestricted grant from TELUS Wise. A position statement on screen use and young children (0-5) was published in 2017.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Genevieve Brouillette
Media Relations Specialist
Canadian Paediatric Society
613-526-9397, ext. 247
media@cps.ca

About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.