PARENTS can worry less about the amount of screen time their kids have after a new study found it's not as harmful as previously thought.
But it's still important for children to get plenty of sleep, exercise and family time as well.
Screens should still be turned off an hour before bed to help youngsters get a good night's sleep, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says.
College President Prof Russell Viner said there was little proof that prolonged device use was “toxic” for kids’ health.
But he said barring them from digital devices an hour before bedtime was “sensible”.
He also urged parents to step in if youngsters were so hooked on screens that it stopped them socialising, exercising, or eating well.
Light from phones, tablets and computers affects the hormones needed to doze off.
Even modest loss of sleep can hurt youngsters’ mental and physical wellbeing and see them struggle at school, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says.
Nine in ten of 109 kids it quizzed admitted gadget use hit their sleep.
Prof Viner said: “Screens are different to reading. There’s evidence that strong light into the brain before bedtime reduces the secretion of melatonin.
“Therefore it can be more difficult to get to sleep. If you look at factors that impact wellbeing in teenagers, sleep has a very high impact.”
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His team drew up the guidelines after analysing 12 scientific reviews.
It stopped short of suggesting a daily screen use limit — but instead urged parents to negotiate with their kids depending on their needs.
The experts also said parents had to examine whether they themselves “unconsciously” spent hours using their smartphones.
Researcher Dr Max Davie said: “Parents need to get control of their own screen time if they are going to get control of the family’s. It’s much easier to be authoritative if you practice what you preach.”
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