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Screen Time for Under-2s Poses Long-Term Health Risks
25 days ago
- Screen time for babies under two poses developmental risks with no meaningful benefit.
- Risks include reduced bonding, stunted language growth, sleep disruption, and childhood obesity.
- Current guidance includes exceptions that parents may misinterpret as endorsements, creating a dangerous loophole.
- Regulators should close this loophole immediately.
- Screen time limits for toddlers are based on shaky science; content and context are more important than minutes logged.
- Educational programming shows no attention harm, and co-viewing with engaged parents leads to positive outcomes.
- Blanket bans ignore nuance; low screen exposure does not guarantee more physical activity or better development.
Babies should not use screens at all in the first two years, major review finds
21 days ago
- Children under two should avoid screens entirely due to long-term developmental risks.
- Screen time under two is widespread and linked to harm, including reduced bonding, limited language development, and overstimulation.
- Researchers recommend no intentional, regular screen time for under-twos and call for updated guidance.
- Parental workload drives early screen exposure, with technology companies urged to stop promoting content as suitable for babies.
What If It's Not the Phones?
18 days ago
- Evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray argues that children's mental health issues stem from a lack of unstructured play and independence, not smartphones.
- Gray's theory, outlined in his book 'Free to Learn', posits that play is essential for children to develop problem-solving skills and manage their own lives.
- He critiques Jonathan Haidt's 'The Anxious Generation', which blames smartphones and social media for youth mental health crises, viewing it as limiting children's freedoms.
- Gray's upcoming book, 'Restoring Childhood', attributes mental health declines to educational reforms like Common Core, which increased school stress and testing.
- He suggests that digital technologies, including video games, actually improved children's mental health by providing spaces for connection and autonomy in the 1990s-2010s.
- Critics, including some academics, question both Gray's and Haidt's hypotheses, emphasizing that multiple factors likely contribute to youth mental health trends.
- The debate highlights a broader conflict over whether to restrict children's freedoms or foster independence in response to mental health concerns.

Hasty Briefsbeta

child development

Screen Time for Under-2s Poses Long-Term Health Risks

Babies should not use screens at all in the first two years, major review finds

What If It's Not the Phones?