You may have heard about how extended screen time can have a negative impact on young minds. And now we have a new study that proves just that.
Keeping toddlers away from iPads would motivate them to exercise and get some fresh air. And in the long run, that should support their sanity.
In addition, this new study says it’s important to develop a child’s executive functions, such as B. his attention span, a shift that arises between tasks and the ability to make the best decisions.
In the same vein, this particular study proved that children as young as two who spent less than 60 minutes using electronic devices and preferred exercise to anything else had the best cognitive abilities.
The study comes to us thanks to research experts at the University of Illinois Urbana.
Executive functioning relies on the ability to engage in goal-directed behaviors. From the inhibitory controls that allow you to regulate thoughts to those related to working memory, feelings and behavior, the list is numerous.
These emotions are also related to holding dates in mind for a while to complete a task. That said, research says shifting attention from one task to another can impair cognitive flexibility and dexterity.
It is interesting to note how such results link to both diet and exercise recommendations from the American Academy for Pediatrics. In addition, such policies are instructed to keep children away from electronic devices and only allow screen time of less than an hour.
Aside from that, it encourages exercise and contains about 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. You will then be asked to avoid sugary drinks as much as possible. According to research, children who adhered to such guidelines from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) showed better executive functioning in young children. The research experts tried to find out when such a relationship begins and at what point in infancy it begins.
This particular study involved about 356 young children, and they happened to belong to a group called “Tough Kids 2.” And that specifically looked for the factors that affect the child’s diet and weight from 0 to 5 years old. This also applies if the children were about two years old.
Parents filled out a survey about their child’s behavior and the average time it takes them to stare at a screen. This includes how active they are and what types of food they consume. It is also related to how many sweetened beverages they consume.
We also saw that the survey asked a series of questions related to their toddlers’ development and behavior. Some of the questions related to the child’s planning process, memory, attention span, and emotionally recorded responses.
There was an inverse relationship between the various executive functions discussed above and the number of hours spent in front of the screen.
Those with less than an hour of screen time performed better and were better able to control their cognition than those who stared at phones and TVs for days. A University of Illinois graduate noted that they had better inhibitory control and memory.
Those toddlers with daily forms of physical activity performed better on tests that required good memory than those who didn’t. As you can see, the authors concluded that healthy behaviors in the form of less screen time and more exercise can be really great for kids.
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