In a new wide-ranging study, researchers have confirmed that when young people spend too much time in front of screens, this can lead to a slew of negative health effects, ranging from obesity, tobacco, drug and alcohol use, low academic achievement, and early sexual behavior.
This latest study was a comprehensive review of 173 existing studies of the effects of media consumption on children. It was published by Common Sense Media and conducted by researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and the California Pacific Medical Center.
The study aimed to distill 30 years of research into a simple message. Jim Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media, put it bluntly to the New York Times: “The average parent doesn’t understand that if you plop your kids down in front of the TV or computer for five hours a day, it can change their brain development, it can make them fat, and it can lead them to get involved in risky sexual activity at a young age.”
Ouch.
Every spring, our town, Needham, Mass., promotes a month of being “unplugged.” Flyers come home with dozens of suggestions of “non-screen” activities. Play cards. Play charades. Take a walk. Make fruit smoothies. Read a book. Go through your closets and donate clothes.
After reading about the new study, unplugging sounds like a very good idea! One that BodiMojo wholeheartedly supports.
- Karen Feldscher, BodiMojo Mom
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