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Screen Time Affects Toddlers' Problem-Solving Skills

Toddlers who spend too much time in front of televisions, tablets and smartphones may not become as skilled at problem-solving as their peers who have less screen time. (Reuters)
Toddlers who spend too much time in front of televisions, tablets and smartphones may not become as skilled at problem-solving as their peers who have less screen time. (Reuters)
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Screen Time Affects Toddlers' Problem-Solving Skills

Toddlers who spend too much time in front of televisions, tablets and smartphones may not become as skilled at problem-solving as their peers who have less screen time. (Reuters)
Toddlers who spend too much time in front of televisions, tablets and smartphones may not become as skilled at problem-solving as their peers who have less screen time. (Reuters)

A new study found that toddlers who spend too much time in front of televisions, tablets and smartphones may not become as skilled at problem-solving, communication and other skills needed for school as their peers who have less screen time.

According to Reuters, children in the study had an average of 17 hours of screen time a week when they were two years old, and 25 hours a week by the time they were three. This far exceeds one-hour daily limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to allow children enough time for creative play and interactions with caregivers and peers.

Lead study author Sheri Madigan of the University of Calgary and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute in Canada: "Screen time is most often a sedentary or passive behavior, with very few learning opportunities."

Part of the problem is that toddlers’ brains aren’t developed enough to apply things they learn from screens to what they experience in life, she explained by email.

"If they see someone building blocks on the screen, this doesn’t help them build blocks in real life,” Madigan said.

Another reason screen time can slow development is that the hours passed in front of televisions and tablets mean kids may miss out on chances to scribble with crayons or play games that help them learn how to kick a ball.

"These are critical skills in early childhood, because mastery of skill is needed before further development can occur. You need to walk before you can run, and you need to know how to hold a crayon before you can write your name," Madigan said.

For the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers surveyed 2,441 mothers in Canada about how much time their kids spent on typical weekdays and weekends watching television, movies or videos; playing video games; or using computers, tablets or other devices like smartphones.

Suzy Tomopoulos of Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York, who wasn’t involved in the study, said: "Parents can minimize risks if screen time is child-appropriate, has educational content, and viewed together with the child.”

“Parents should also turn off the television when no one is watching, during mealtimes and one hour before bedtime."

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Research: Walking 7,000 Steps a Day a Huge Boost to Health

Step up: Walking even just a little more every day could have big health benefits. Tolga Akmen / AFP/File
Step up: Walking even just a little more every day could have big health benefits. Tolga Akmen / AFP/File
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Research: Walking 7,000 Steps a Day a Huge Boost to Health

Step up: Walking even just a little more every day could have big health benefits. Tolga Akmen / AFP/File
Step up: Walking even just a little more every day could have big health benefits. Tolga Akmen / AFP/File

People who walk 7,000 steps a day have a dramatically lower risk of a broad range of serious health problems, the largest review of the evidence yet said Thursday.

The most widely promoted target for people tracking their number of steps is 10,000 -- but that figure reportedly originally came from a 1960s marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer, AFP said.

To find a more scientific target, an international team of researchers sifted through 57 previous studies that covered 160,000 people.

The results published in the Lancet Public Health journal found that walking 7,000 steps a day nearly halved people's risk of early death from all causes, compared to 2,000 steps.

The study also looked into health problems not previously covered by research into step counts.

Walking 7,000 steps a day was linked to people's risk of dementia falling by 38 percent, depression dropping 22 percent and diabetes decreasing 14 percent.

It was also associated with lower rates of cancer and falls, though the researchers warned this was based on less evidence.

"You don't need to hit 10,000 steps a day to get major health benefits," Paddy Dempsey, a study co-author and medical researcher at Cambridge University, told AFP.

"The biggest gains happen before 7,000 steps, and then benefits tend to level off," he said.

While people's speeds vary widely, 7,000 steps adds up to roughly an hour of walking throughout the day.

Dempsey emphasized that people already managing 10,000 or more steps should keep it up.

But he had a message for people who might find 7,000 steps daunting: "don't be discouraged".

"If you're only getting 2,000–3,000 steps a day, aim to add an extra 1,000 steps. That's just 10–15 minutes of light walking spread across the day," he said.

Andrew Scott, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth not involved in the study, said that "it demonstrates that overall more is always better".

"People should not focus too much on the numbers, particularly on days where activity is limited," he added.

The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity a week. Nearly a third of people worldwide do not reach this target, according to the WHO.