User:Awalcant/sandbox

Screen Time

Screen time and sleep disturbances.

With the increased amount of technology in the home comes an increase of certain specific health effects due to the fact that the accumulated amount of daily screen time in children ages 8 to 18 has grown from 5 hours to 8 hours since 1996 to present. Some of the health effects that can be brought about with increased screen time are lack of sleep due to late bedtimes, arousal from media sources which leads the inability to sleep, daytime tiredness, trouble internalizing and/or externalizing problems according to the study done by Justin Parent. The light from electronic screens can effect the circadian rhythm of children and disrupt alertness directly which is why the American academy of pediatrics only recommends children get a max of 2 hours of screen time a day. For young children ages 3-7 the amount of sleep disturbances greatly increases after 6 hours of screen time, and for children 8-12 the amount of sleep disturbances greatly increased after the 10 hour mark. After 4 or 6 hours of daily screen time sleep duration drops for adolescence age 13-17

How much technology is in our homes.

Most children (90%) ages 5-15 have some type of computer and internet access at home in the year 2013. Tablet ownership from 2012 through 2013 has grown immensely from 20% to 51% in adults, from 7%-23% in children ages 5-15, and up to 28% in children ages 3-4. The socioeconomic status of a family is usually the determining factor as to the amount of technology in the home and typically the lower the status of a family the less likely there will be an availability of technology in said home, yet for those kids of lower status they will use said technology more frequent then the kids of higher status.

What role does screen time play in obesity.

Screen time is often speculated to have a correlation to obesity and it does to an extent. As the amount of seated screen time increases in an individual it replaces time spent being active and in turn does not burn calories but holds them. Longitudinal studies have shown that a largely seated lifestyle in front of a screen will increase the risk and possibly lead to obesity down the road, while cross sectional studies argue that genetics plays a big factor in obesity.