Children’s screen time increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to online classes and dependency on gadgets, according to a new study. In a survey by community social media platform Local Circles, 40 percent of urban parents in India admitted that their children’s screen time increased during the pandemic. The target groups of the study were parents of children between the ages of 9 and 17.
The study found that online classes and reliance on gadgets as the sole source of entertainment during the COVID-19 lockdown caused the children to become addicted to smartphones, the parents revealed.
A significant percentage of parents who participated in the survey suggested raising the minimum age for creating a social media account. Almost 68 percent of parents thought that the age for creating a social media account should be raised to 15 years.
According to the survey, 55 percent of parents said their kids ages 9 to 13 had access to a smartphone all or most of the day, while 71 percent of parents said their kids ages 13 to 17 had access to a smartphone almost all day. day using smartphones. all day.
Allowing children as young as nine to use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, when they were previously not using them has worried parents more than anything.
Experts suggest that excessive use of social media and screen time leads to lack of sleep, irritability, stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and concentration problems in children. It is also recommended to occasionally screen children up to the age of 18 for anxiety and depression.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, using social media or video games for more than two hours a day can harm a child’s mental and physical health.
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