Screen Time and Child -Parenting tips-Attention deficit disorder.

Excessive screen time poses two types of health risks for children and adolescents: 

• Physical and 
• Psychological. 

Increased screen time reduces 

• The time spent doing physical activity, 
• Affecting the sleep cycle.

Prolonged screen viewing can cause 

• Dry and itchy eyes, 
• Dlurry vision, and 
• Headaches. 
• Risk of developing myopia.

Secondly, excessive use of digital devices for gaming, accessing social media, and watching online streaming services can be associated with 

• Behavioral addictions such as 
• Gaming disorder or 
• Attention deficit disorder. 

Parents must keep a watch on the screen time of their wards and follow the 11-point agenda to bring a child from passive mode due to screen time to an active routine/ mode.

• 1. Go for a walk or run with a child, but without gadgets in his hands or head.
• 2. Take a hobby such as gardening, music etc.
• 3. Take a sports activity on a daily basis.
• 4. Family mealtime without screen all the time as a family rule.
• 5. Family time for Puzzles sudoku chess but not on gadgets after meals. 
• 6. Have a fun time with peers/ friends.
• 7. Daily book newspaper reading task, but not e-books or e-newspapers. 
• 8. Role play, drama, skit, group tasks. 
• 9. Cyber awareness sessions.
• 10. Join weekly experiential learning Groups such as pottery, craft making tailoring.
• 11. Assign a few home tasks to the child as his compulsory daily /weekly responsibility.
• Refer below for what UNICEF advises.

https://www.unicef.org/india/parentingtips/ten-tips-cutting-down-screen-time-during-covid-19