Pediatricians provide guidelines for children and digital technology

Pediatricians warn parents of the harm of technology and have developed a list of recommendations for parents.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a list of recommendations for parents for children's interactions with technology. The AAP calls for parents to pay more attention to how, where and when their children use digital media. For young children, the use of digital media may have hidden negatives that parents need to watch for the next time they hand their child an iPad.

"Digital media has become an inevitable part of childhood for many infants, toddlers and preschoolers, but research is limited on how this affects their development," said Jenny Radesky, MD, a developmental behavioral expert and pediatrician at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. "In children over [3 years old], the research is solid: High-quality programs like Sesame Street can teach kids new ideas. However, under 3, toddlers' immature brains have a hard time transferring what they see on a screen to real-life knowledge. We don't yet know if interactivity helps or hinders that process."

The recommendations include:

• Children under 18 months should avoid digital media.
• Children ages 2 to 5 should have access to media one hour a day, and this time should be spent together with programs that improve learning.
• Limit digital media use an hour before bed so to not interfere with the quality of sleep, development and physical health of the child.
• Turn off devices when not in use.
• Bedrooms, mealtime and parent-child time are all situations in which digital media should not be used.
• Avoid using digital media to calm children; this interferes with the child’s development of controlling their own emotions.
• Parent should also limit digital media use, to avoid “monkey see, monkey do."
• If parents ever need help, they should contact a pediatrician, who should be encouraging parents become "media mentors."

"What we do know is that early childhood is a time of rapid brain development, when children need time to play, sleep, learn to handle emotions and build relationships. Research still suggests that excessive media use can get in the way of these important activities. Our statement highlights ways families and pediatricians can help manage a healthy balance,” said Radesky. “Pediatricians have the opportunity to start conversations with parents early about family media use and habits. We can help parents develop media use plans for their homes, set limits and encourage them to use devices with their children in a way that promotes enhanced learning and greater interaction."