The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that children under 5 years old should only have an hour of screen time, and babies under 1-year-old should not have any screen time. WHO claims its guidelines are a necessary response to the increasingly sedentary behavior of the world population.
The United Nations Health Agency announced that these guidelines will result in children growing up to become healthier adults. “Improving physical activity, reducing sedentary time and ensuring quality sleep in young children will improve their physical, mental health and wellbeing, and help prevent childhood obesity and associated diseases later in life,” explained Dr. Fiona Bull, a manager for surveillance and prevention of noncommunicable diseases at WHO.
The researchers at WHO state that restricting screen time is only a small part of these new guidelines, as the guidelines also stress the importance of child development. The WHO also suggests more exercise and sleep for children under 5 in order to establish healthy habits. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the director-general of the WHO, explains that “Achieving health for all means doing what is best for health right from the beginning of people’s lives. Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.”
Other health institutions disagree with WHO’s guidelines, however. Dr. Max Davie, the Officer for Health Improvement at Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health explained that “research has shown that currently there is not strong enough evidence to support the setting of screen time limits.” In addition to the limited available data, the WHO did not detail the potential harm that could be caused by too much screen time, instead arguing that the guidelines were necessary to counter the lack of physical activity in today’s population.
Andrew Przbylski, a director at the Oxford Internet Institute, claims that WHO’s guidelines “overly focus on quantity of screen time and fails to consider the content and context of use,” suggesting that the agency should also consider the benefits of the internet, such as high-quality programs with educational value.
The WHO has additional guidelines for children under 5 years old in addition to the guidelines for screen time. The organization recommends that children between the ages of 1 and 5 should get at three hours of physical activity per day, and 10 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, they should not be restrained in strollers for more than one hour at a time so they can have physical activity.
According to studies conducted by the WHO, instances of childhood obesity are increasing in low and middle-income countries, despite it formerly being considered a first-world problem. The organization claims that failure to stay physically active is responsible for more than five million deaths globally.
Sources:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1686438287631x929581686130088300/No%20screen%20time%20for%20babies%20and%20only%20an%20hour%20a%20day%20for%20kids%20under%20age%205%2C%20WHO%20advises%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Times.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/health/screen-time-kids.html
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more
The United Nations Health Agency announced that these guidelines will result in children growing up to become healthier adults. “Improving physical activity, reducing sedentary time and ensuring quality sleep in young children will improve their physical, mental health and wellbeing, and help prevent childhood obesity and associated diseases later in life,” explained Dr. Fiona Bull, a manager for surveillance and prevention of noncommunicable diseases at WHO.
The researchers at WHO state that restricting screen time is only a small part of these new guidelines, as the guidelines also stress the importance of child development. The WHO also suggests more exercise and sleep for children under 5 in order to establish healthy habits. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the director-general of the WHO, explains that “Achieving health for all means doing what is best for health right from the beginning of people’s lives. Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.”
Other health institutions disagree with WHO’s guidelines, however. Dr. Max Davie, the Officer for Health Improvement at Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health explained that “research has shown that currently there is not strong enough evidence to support the setting of screen time limits.” In addition to the limited available data, the WHO did not detail the potential harm that could be caused by too much screen time, instead arguing that the guidelines were necessary to counter the lack of physical activity in today’s population.
Andrew Przbylski, a director at the Oxford Internet Institute, claims that WHO’s guidelines “overly focus on quantity of screen time and fails to consider the content and context of use,” suggesting that the agency should also consider the benefits of the internet, such as high-quality programs with educational value.
The WHO has additional guidelines for children under 5 years old in addition to the guidelines for screen time. The organization recommends that children between the ages of 1 and 5 should get at three hours of physical activity per day, and 10 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, they should not be restrained in strollers for more than one hour at a time so they can have physical activity.
According to studies conducted by the WHO, instances of childhood obesity are increasing in low and middle-income countries, despite it formerly being considered a first-world problem. The organization claims that failure to stay physically active is responsible for more than five million deaths globally.
Sources:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1686438287631x929581686130088300/No%20screen%20time%20for%20babies%20and%20only%20an%20hour%20a%20day%20for%20kids%20under%20age%205%2C%20WHO%20advises%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Times.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/health/screen-time-kids.html
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more
