At home and at work, we are surrounded by screens, and they have come to stay. However, children are the ones who observe them closely and excessive use at an early age involves a number of problems and risks. For this reason, the Safe Internet has created the guide 'Digital Technologies in Children, Adolescents and Youth' .
Some data
- According to data from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the visual acuity of boys and girls between 3 and 4 years of age is 50% and up to 12 years the human being does not see perfectly in 3D.
- Screens lead to a sedentary lifestyle that can lead to different problems such as the increase in cases of childhood obesity and diabetes due to lack of physical activity. This risk increases in cases where the TV is in the room.
- It has been shown that the light emitted by the screens acts to block the secretion of melatonin, alters the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness and affects the immune system. Children most exposed to screens sleep fewer hours and sleep is less restful. The deficit of hours of sleep negatively affects your emotional stability as well as your academic performance.
Some tips
- It is necessary to limit the time, trying to dose the use according to the age and the responsibilities of each child.
- It is necessary to establish very marked routines and define guidelines for the use of digital environments.
- It is necessary to know the tools that play a leading role in the daily lives of young people to understand the meanings,
the potentialities and risks they have to face.
- The spaces where digital technologies are used (at an early age, they should be common and open spaces).
- There should be a debate about the type of devices you decide to have at home.
- It is important to educate in non-violence
In addition, through this link you can access proposals and activities to play and learn about cybersecurity.