Regulations Are Urgently Needed – Children Are Spending a Third of Their After-School Time on Screens

Immediate Regulations Needed as Children Spend One-Third of After-School Hours on Screens

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand, underscores the pressing need for regulatory measures to address the increasing screen time among children during their after-school hours. The researchers, who emphasize the detrimental effects of extended screen time on children’s health and well-being, have called for urgent actions to safeguard children from potential harm in the largely unregulated online landscape.

The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, focuses on the post-school routines of 12-year-olds and highlights the concerning trend of devoting a substantial portion of their free time to screens. The research reveals that children allocate approximately one-third of their after-school hours to screen-related activities, a figure that escalates to over half of their time after 8 pm.

Dr. Moira Smith, a senior researcher from the University’s Department of Public Health, points out that this level of screen time significantly exceeds the current guidelines. Current recommendations advocate for less than two hours of screen time per day outside of school hours for children and adolescents.

The study draws its conclusions from the innovative Kids’Cam project, where 108 participating children wore cameras that captured images every seven seconds, providing an unprecedented glimpse into their daily lives between 2014 and 2015. The findings reveal that the predominant screen activities involve gaming and program watching, with a notable 10 percent of children engaging with multiple screens simultaneously.

The adverse effects of excessive screen time on children’s health and well-being are evident. Dr. Smith highlights that prolonged screen use is associated with obesity, diminished mental well-being, disrupted sleep patterns, impaired cognitive function, and reduced physical activity. Moreover, it negatively impacts children’s ability to concentrate, regulate emotions, and control behavior.

The ubiquity of screen use in children’s lives has only intensified since the Kids’Cam data collection, accelerated further by the rapid rise in screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers note that in 2023, children are spending significant time online, particularly through smartphones. Notably, YouTube and Netflix emerge as the preferred platforms for program viewing, with a significant proportion of children under 14 engaging with social media, TikTok being the most common, albeit rated for ages 13 and above.

Dr. Smith draws attention to the alarming exposure of children to advertisements promoting vaping, alcohol, gambling, and unhealthy food choices. In addition, children encounter instances of sexism, racism, and cyberbullying while navigating the digital realm. Disturbingly, cyberbullying appears prevalent among children in Aotearoa, with a staggering one in four parents reporting instances of online bullying against their children.

Current legislation in New Zealand is deemed inadequate to effectively address the challenges posed by the digital landscape children are exposed to. Dr. Smith commends the Government’s initiatives in proposing heightened regulation of social media, as indicated in the recent consultation document from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). This move acknowledges concerns over children accessing inappropriate content online.

As the Otago researchers delve further into the online activities of children in Aotearoa through screen capture technology, they anticipate releasing their findings in the near future.

Reference: “Watching the watchers: assessing the nature and extent of children’s screen time using wearable cameras” by Belinda M Lowe, Moira Smith, Richard Jaine, James Stanley, Ryan Gage, and Louise Signal, 7 July 2023, New Zealand Medical Journal.

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