Screen time is the amount of time spent using a device such as a computer, television, or video game console. It can be an element of a sedentary lifestyle.
Contents
History
The term screen time has been usually referred to in a negative context as the AAP (American Academy Pediatrics) advises parents to limit the screen time for children. The phenomenon itself has existed since the technology has been available to the general public. The installation of television by Americans was more rapid over the 1950’s than any other information and communication technology to come before. With the increase in the technological advances, the use of devices consisting of screens, such as TV, computers, laptops and cell phones, increased resulting in the increase in screen time. In the late 1990’s, adolescents spent an average of 1.5 to 2.5 hours per day watching television. Similar averages are present across nations North America and Europe as well as Japan and Korea. Experts have suggested that excessive screen time is harmful especially if the content is violent. Several many attempts have been made to reduce or control screen time. In the 1970’s the “television-free” movement emerged which appeal to reduce the screen time. The Children’s Television Act (1990) provide the children with more educational programming and the Telecommunication Act of 1996 grant parents a way to control the television content. Both of the Acts put restrictions on how the screen time is used.
Screen time and children
How much screen time a child receives may depend on socioeconomic status and race. Too much screen time can affect a child's health. Research in the United States states that African-American (69%) and Hispanic (68%) children have rates of a television in the bedroom that are twice as high compared to white children (28%). Children consume an extra 167 calories per day for every hour of television viewing. TV viewing also causes an increase in fast food consumption and more time spent playing video game is linked to an increase in weight in children. The key to screen time is to balance screen time and active time, and a child will have no problems.
The study of increased screen time in children is fairly new and we have not been observing the effects long enough to make a solid conclusion on the fact that it will lead to negative consequences as the child grows up.
Screen Time and Sleep Disturbances
With the increased amount of technology in the home comes an increase of certain specific health effects due to the fact that the accumulated amount of daily screen time in children ages 8 to 18 has grown from 5 hours to 8 hours since 1996 to present. Some of the health effects that can be brought about with increased screen time are lack of sleep due to late bedtimes, arousal from media sources which leads the inability to sleep, daytime tiredness, trouble internalizing and/or externalizing problems according to the study done by Justin Parent. The light from electronic screens can effect the circadian rhythm of children and disrupt alertness directly which is why the American academy of pediatrics only recommends children get a max of 2 hours of screen time a day. For young children ages 3–7 the amount of sleep disturbances greatly increases after 6 hours of screen time, and for children 8-12 the amount of sleep disturbances greatly increased after the 10 hour mark. After 4 or 6 hours of daily screen time sleep duration drops for adolescence age 13-17
Internet and Screen Time
The use of internet expanded in the 1990’s. This caused the increase in the usage of devices that could access the internet and the increase in screen time. In 2001 an average user spent 83 minutes online. By 2010, twenty two percent of the world’s population had access to the computer. The internet allows users to communicate, watch videos, and find information needed. That is why a lot of screen time is spent watching videos online by the users. According to YouTube, in February 2006, 15 million videos a day were watched while 20,000 videos were uploaded. However, in March 2010, an average of 24 hours of video was uploaded in a minute.
Screen time has become more common because of media convergence. Media convergence combines TV, computer and mobile devices. The consumers are able to obtain different services from single platform or Traditional media is moving online. Traditional media is moving online. The content that was only available on the television is available on portable devices with the internet. This allows users to access media from any place at any time
Video Games and Screen Time
One of the ways that people spend screen time is playing video games. Although the video games have been around for a while, it was in the 1970’s when video game console was first invented. This was a very popular product when it first came and many people took interest in this. After that the growth and evolution of new programs and games was very rapid. It has become a part of many people’s lives. Playing video games either on a console or a computer has become a part of routine for some. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) researched the demographics of the computer and the video game industry the estimated 51% of the American households own a dedicated game console and 42% of Americans play regularly. So almost 160 million Americans play video games. Both genders take part in these statistics. Out these players 56 percent are male and 44 percent are female players. The average teenage boy today spends more than thirteen hours a week playing video games, compared with five hours a week per average teenage girl. Most believe that teenagers are the ones playing these video games. However, the average age of the video game player was 35 years old and 27% players are older the 50 years of age. The most frequent users spend on average six and a half hour playing online and about five hours are spent playing in-person with others.