Toddler to teenager: Know how excessive screen time can slow children's growth and development
Every child goes through certain developmental milestones, like developing motor skills, learning to speak, making social connections and so on. But with excessive screen exposure, the process of mental and physical development may slow down or get disrupted.
Dr Poonam Sidana, Director of Neonatology and Paediatrics at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, shared a detailed guide outlining the developmental impediments that may arise at different stages of childhood. The guide also highlights essential aspects such as mental health issues associated with high screen time and eye-friendly foods that should be included in the diet to protect vision:
The screen-first world is taking a toll on vision, as well as mental and physical health, with kids among the most vulnerable groups. But parents can help guide them by imparting healthy digital habits, encouraging balanced screen use.
Dr Rasika, Senior Consultant, Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals, commented, 'Small changes can make a big difference. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: after every 20 minutes of screen use, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This gives the eye muscles a break and reduces strain. Second is to encourage kids to spend more time outdoors is another great step. Natural light and focusing on distant objects help in healthy eye development. It's also important to limit recreational screen time. Set boundaries around mobile and gaming usage, especially before bedtime. Ensure your child's study and screen setup has good lighting. Screens should be at eye level and at a safe distance (about an arm's length). Remind children to blink often and sit with good posture.'
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
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If You Bought 1,000 ComfortDelGro Shares at IPO, Here's What They're Worth Now
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San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
This Marin County town is having a ‘freakout' over a planned downtown apartment complex
Perched up on a hillside on the outskirts of downtown Fairfax for decades, the rambling wooden Frogs Hot Tubs complex was the embodiment of the sun-kissed, laid-back Marin County lifestyle. There were community hot tubs, cold plunge pools, yoga studios and a clothing-optional sundeck. Rock bands practiced in some of the rooms. The hot tubs and saunas were located in a woodsy area next to Contratti Park, home of West Marin Little League action and where the Grateful Dead played softball against Jefferson Airplane in the mid-1960s. Now Frogs is boarded up and the blighted property is at the center of a development fight over a proposed 243-unit apartment complex that says as much about Marin County politics 2025 as hippies and nude sunbathing did about the town in decades past. 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That is not going to work here.' Neal-Ricker said she hears the dissatisfaction every day. 'Why are our roads falling apart? Why are people so angry? Why aren't people getting along? Why do you feel like you are being treated with hostility?' she said. 'I was born and raised in this town. I've walked every inch of it. I have a lot of pride in it, a lot of love for the children growing up here.' She said she could never qualify for the proposed project's 41 affordable units, which would be rented to households earning 80% of area median income, which translates to $119,000 for a two-person household and $134,000 for a three-person household. She said she would support a three-story project in which 50% of the units were deeply affordable. 'I'm low income,' she said. 'Affordable housing would be great but that is not what that is.' 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In a June letter to the town, YIMBY Law Executive Director Sonja Trauss said the town 'is legally bound to approve the project ministerially unless it can make findings that the proposed housing development would be a threat to public health and safety.' 'Fairfax is walking into a buzzsaw — they are going to waste a lot of money and they are going to lose,' Trauss said. 'They are having an absolute and complete freakout over one project that is not that big a deal.'
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