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Advisory warns of kids excessive screen time
The U.S. Surgeon Generals Office is raising new alarms about how much time children spend in front of screens, issuing an advisory that links excessive use to poor sleep, anxiety, depression and developmental delays.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The U.S. Surgeon General's Office is raising new alarms about how much time children spend in front of screens, issuing an advisory that links excessive use to poor sleep, anxiety, depression and developmental delays.
Recommended limits
The warning covers everything from social media and tablets to video games and television, and recommends children ages 6 to 18 spend no more than two hours a day on recreational screen time.
But for many families, that number may feel impossible to hit.
What they're saying:
"There's absolutely a difference between quantity and quality," said Dr. Keedra McNeill, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente East Bay. "It's really important for parents to help kids differentiate between screen time that's necessary — what they're using for schoolwork and assignments — as opposed to screen time that's recreational."
McNeill says even creative screen use, like building projects with digital tools, should be balanced with off-screen activities.
"Twenty years ago, we didn't even have access to these devices, but we were still able to pursue our creative pursuits," she said. "Kids should be encouraged to do those things off screen as much as possible."
Dig deeper:
The advisory also endorses bell-to-bell phone bans in schools — a policy that a growing number of Bay Area districts have either adopted or are considering.
McNeill, whose own child attends a middle school with such a policy in place, says she's seen the difference firsthand.
"It has improved concentration, it's improved focus, and it really allows kids to pay attention to what's going on around them in real time," she said, "as opposed to being so distracted and zoned out by phones or smartwatches."
The research
Because there is currently no confirmed U.S. Surgeon General, some have questioned the weight the advisory carries.
But McNeill says pediatricians have long looked to the American Academy of Pediatrics — not the Surgeon General's office — for guidance on screen time.
"The AAP has been focusing on decreasing screen time for children for many, many years," she said. "This is not anything new for us. They've been doing data, they've been doing research, and these are the primary recommendations we're utilizing as medical professionals."
Why you should care:
McNeill's biggest concern goes beyond the hours logged on a device.
She wants parents to understand that children's brains are still developing — and that screens can stand in the way of that growth.
"Even as adults, we have a tendency to get lost in our screens," she said. "Now take a child whose brain is still developing, who is still going through different stages of change. You really have to make sure that child's brain is being exposed to different things outside of the screen — or they're not going to have that full, appropriate development when they become young adults."
The Source: Interview with Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Dr. Keedra McNeill, U.S. Surgeon General's office advisory