MNHQ here: new screen time recommendations from Royal College of Paediatrics - tell us what you think please

[RowanMumsnet]

Morning, and Happy New Year

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is today releasing some new recommendations about screen time for children, based on a survey of existing studies and data.

You can read the recommendations in detail here, but the top lines include:

"There is not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is in itself harmful to child health at any age, making it impossible to recommend age appropriate time limits."
"Although there are negative associations between screen time and poor mental health, sleep and fitness, we cannot be sure that these links are causal, or if other factors are causing both negative health outcomes and higher screen time. To help us develop a better understanding of this issue, [we] urge both more and better research, particularly on newer uses of digital media, such as social media.”
"Parents [should] approach screen time based on the child’s developmental age, the individual need and the value the family place on positive activities such as socialising, exercise and sleep - when screen time displaces these activities, the evidence suggests there is a risk to child wellbeing."
"Parents can use a series of questions which aim to help families make decisions about their screen time use: Is your family’s screen time under control? Does screen use interfere with what your family want to do? Does screen use interfere with sleep? Are you able to control snacking during screen time use?"
*"It is also important that adults in the family reflect on their own level of screen time in order to have a positive influence on younger members.”

We're getting lots of media requests about this today so would love to know what you all think about the RCPCH's conclusions. Are they realistic? Do they go far enough? Do you agree there needs to be more research in this area? Do you worry that there's a strong link between social media use and teenagers' (particularly girls') mental health, as suggested in this research from University College London today? Do you practise what you preach (putting any devices down an hour before bed, limiting your own device use so that it doesn't interfere with family time) when it comes to parenting and screen time?

Thanks
MNHQ

We certainly practice what we preach in the sense of no phones at shared meals - unless one of us is looking up something of general interest to the discussion, to answer a question, for example, after which the phone goes away again; doing things together with our children, of all ages; doing non-screen-based activities, such as DIY, model-making, sewing, cooking, sport; switching the TV off after watching a film or programme.

I'm very sceptical about this "not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is in itself harmful to child health at any age". If screen time is not influential, why would advertisers invest so much in it? If screen time is not addictive, why do behavioural scientists design games and programmes to lock attention and keep the viewer engaged for longer and longer? If screen time is not harmless, why do users experience physiological changes such as raised cortisol, raised adrenaline, RSI, spinal problems?

And that's before even the anecdata of parental observations regarding their children's behaviour and teachers' observations regarding pupil behaviour and attainment.

I think the guidelines are really poorly phrased. There might be no harm caused by screen time in and of itself but that’s REALLY not the same as saying it doesn’t cause harm at all. It could have been better put to explain that the aspects of screen time which cause harm are the displacement of other activities like exercise, the negative impact on sleep, the damage that can be caused by social media, etc.

It’s a bit like saying “it’s not the fall it’s the hitting the ground that kills you”. Not really giving an accurate picture.

I'll continue with limiting my DC's screen time.

My kids heard this on the radio in the car earlier and are lobbying for more screen time already! They are aged 6 and 9 and currently we allow 30mins a day plus sometimes they have homework on it or we watch a film or football match together.

I pointed out to them that while the screen time might not harm them in itself, it just takes up so much time when they have other things to do like moving around or talking to other people and being creative. Plus I notice when they have too much they get grumpy. So I won’t be increasing their time limit any time soon.

I think that's really useful and really clear. Totally agree that recommendations around this should be evidence-based and I would be supportive of more research in this area (given that they've established some kind of negative link, and given how wide-ranging an issue it is).

I think it's important parents (continue to) feel empowered to restrict screen time for reasons given in OP, even if there is no clear "too much screen time directly causes ill health" link.

I think a really important thing to think about is what children arent doing when they are on screens.

I see the effects screen time has on my 2 year old son and will continue to limit it to 30 mins per day. Occasionally this is exceeded eg when poorly, and afterwards i notice his behaviour is worse (more tantrums), he will constantly request more screen time and cope badly with being told no, and his attention span for any activity is reduced. Maybe this would be acceptable if tv/tablets offered some valuable learning or skill unavailable elsewhere but for a young child, its just consumption. It doesnt enable him to create, or solve problems, or explore his environment or communicate. If a story/entertainment is required, we have books, puppets, musical instruments & a range of other activities which he engages with in a much more interactive way versus staring at a screen like a zombie.

Judgerules has also hit the nail on the head. Its about how screen time displaces other activities I feel are more valuable.

I personally don't think it is the screen time itself that is harmful.
It's the inappropriate content that they may see and the physical activity that is being missed out on due to increased screen time that are harmful.

If your dc is fit and active, you have installed appropriate content filters on their devices and they don't have them when they should be sleeping then there shouldn't be an issue.

I think this is a missed opportunity. It will be interpreted by many as 'no need to limit screen time'

I agree that this guidelines don’t seem strongly worded enough to me. However, I do accept the need to base recommendations on evidence rather than hearsay.

Today's Times interprets this somewhat differently:

It would be helpful if they had added just a little more detail to the briefing, instead of hiding it away in a long PDF (hard to read on a mobile screen). Pet peeve, sorry.

RCPCH recommendations for discussing screen time with families

Because the effect of screen time depends so much on context, and the uncertain nature of the evidence, it is impossible to give comprehensive national guidance or limits. However, we think that families should examine their own screen time regime using the following questions as a guide. These questions and the accompanying notes will hopefully also be useful to clinicians when discussing children’s screen time with families.
If a family can ask themselves (or be asked by others) these questions, and are satisfied with the answers, then they can be reassured that they are likely to be doing as well as they can with this tricky issue.
Question 1: Is screen time in your household controlled?
For infants and younger children this means that screen time duration and content is set by their responsible adults. If these limits are regularly broken and the parent feels that screen use is out of control, this may indicate the need for parenting support.
For older children and young people, there will be a move towards autonomy and self-control, but this will need to be gradual and under the overall guidance of an adult.
Adults within families also need to consider their own use of screens, using the questions below for guidance. It is useful for us all to ask, especially regarding smartphones, “whether you are using it for what you want to, or whether you are unconsciously using it all the time”
Question 2: Does screen use interfere with what your family want to do?
This will obviously vary from family to family- however, many families want to spend more time together, and there is good evidence that this is beneficial for the welfare of all family members.
Mealtimes are an opportunity for this, and so many families declare meals to be a ‘screen-free zone’. This may be a good way to ensure interaction, especially with older, more independent young people, but each family needs to find its own way to maximise interaction and shared enjoyment.
For younger children, face-to-face social interaction is vital to the development of language and other skills. Screen-based interaction is not an effective substitute for this.
Question 3: Does screen use interfere with sleep?
Even quite modest sleep deprivation can interfere with mental and physical health, educational success and family relations. Is it important, therefore, that screens do not interfere with a good bedtime routine, either for children or adults, and we would adopt the expert recommendation that screens are avoided for an hour before the planned bedtime.
Question 4: Are you able to control snacking during screen time?
It can be very easy to lose track of how much is eaten during a session of screen time particularly if meals are eaten in front of screens. Adults should monitor what is eaten during sessions on screens, especially in children at risk of obesity.

Some early years settings (I recall reading in an early years journal at uni) saying that fine motor skills are less than expected in quite a lot of small children compared to say 10 or 15 years ago.

Someone upthread said 'what are kids not doing when they are watching a screen?' Well, motor skills are one of the things. Whether that's doing your doll's hair or jumping on a trampoline/bed, or doing lego or riding a scooter in the park.

Its about a balanced diet, DS watches some programmes or play a game for half an hour but we make sure he has outside or some form of movement like play area in/out for some time each day too.

I do agree that more high-quality research is definitely needed to establish whether there are links between the type of content etc and worse mental health.

I think that the headlines aren't at all helpful though - it's being reported by the BBC as "hey don't worry, screen time is just fine!" rather than "we don't have enough evidence yet, might be harmful, might not be, here are some tips".

I'd also like to see more research into how apps/content that's deliberately designed to be addictive in an unmanageable way affects children.

Thank you very much for all these - really interesting.

We have never enforced a hard screen time for our two kids now 11 and 13. Mainly because dh and I are gamers so we both have a lot of screen time. I'm also a news junkie so I read a lot of news/current affairs and other stuff that interests me.

What we did do was enforce "curfews" eg no screens before school, while eating or an hour or so before bed.

We also pay a lot of attention to what they are doing. So, no social media, the youngest still doesnt have much Internet access and YouTube is banned. All gadgets are monitored and the elder ones mobile is subject to spot checks. We have spoken a lot about what they are allowed to do, how they should behave and why we don't allow certain things. It is an ongoing conversation.

If they are told to stop playing they are expected to do so immediately. If they are getting cross with a game then they must stop. Multilayer Online game playing is limited (minecraft with friends only and the youngest is supervised.)

Games console is in the living room with the only TV in the house.

As a family we regularly play board and card games. They are both out most of the weekend so little screentime then. They are also both avid readers, play sports and have varied interests.

I've never noticed a deterioration in behaviour but that is probably more due to their personalities than due to our parenting. We decided that we wanted them to learn to self limit. When they were little they would be told to do something else if I felt they had spent too long but generally it was rarely needed. Again probably more due to personality than us.

I've always felt that a very limited and strict screen time was a blunt tool. I think it's more important to know what they are doing and teaching them what is appropriate behaviour. It probably has helped that they play together a lot and that there are games we play as a family (word cookies is a family favourite)

I should actually tell you what our rules are.

2 hours of screen time per day. That's it, however they want to use them. I'm not sure if we should cut it as they have to use the internet more for homework.

MN users are often way OTT about screen time. I think this advice is balanced and fair. They're trying to give a positive message to families - get out and do things with your children, talk and read to them and screen times can fit into that. And that's really sensible. If your 13 year old is spending all day shut in their room playing xbox you have a problem. If your 3 year old watches an hour of peppa pig in the morning before you go to the shops and spend the afternoon at the park you're probably ok.