Children’s screen time increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to online classes and dependence on gadgets, according to a new study. A survey done by the community social media platform Local Circles, 40 per cent of urban parents in India admitted that during the pandemic their children’s screen time increased. The target groups for the survey were parents of children aged between 9 and 17 years.
The survey showed that online classes and dependence on gadgets as the only source of entertainment during the COVID-19 lockdown caused the children to be addicted to smartphones, the parents revealed.
A significant percentage of parents participating in the survey suggested that the minimum age for creating a social media account should be increased. Nearly 68 per cent of parents opined that the age for creating a social media account should be increased to 15 years.
According to the survey, 55 percent of parents said that their children aged 9 to 13 years had access to a smartphone all day or for the majority of the day while 71 percent of parents said that their children aged 13 to 17 used smartphones for almost the entire day.
Allowing kids as young as nine to use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, when they weren’t previously using it, worried the parents more than anything else.
Experts suggest that excessive use of social media and screen time leads to a lack of sleep, irritability, stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and difficulty in concentration among kids. It is also recommended to screen children up to the age of 18 for anxiety and depression from time to time.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, using social media or video games for more than two hours a day can harm a kid’s mental and physical health.
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