How Does Screen Time Affect Kids Sleep?

Screen Time and Our Kids

How does Screen Time and the Use of Technology Affect our Children’s Sleep and Health?

Screens are ubiquitous in our lives and our kids’ lives.  They are abundant and we use gadgets without realizing that some of them even have screens.  In my house we have 2 TV’s, 2 tablets, an e-book reader, 2 cell phones, 2 iPods, 2 laptops and 2 monitors for our desktop.  That’s a total of 13 screens for just a 3 person household!!

Our children, from the time they are born, are surrounded by screens, despite our best efforts to curb their use and interaction with them until they are at an appropriate age.  As they get older, they start collecting their own set of devices – hand held video games, computer games etc.  So how does screen time affect our children’s well-being? How does it affect their health and mental well-being?

Study Shows Some Cartoons Have Adverse Affect on Kids

Child Watching TV

Not Your Parents’ Scooby Doo

By George Drinka, MD

In a flurry of articles published in the LA Times, USAToday, Deseret News, and elsewhere, journalists report a surprising finding as described in a recent article in the scholarly journal Pediatrics.

Certain popular cartoons, like “Bugs Bunny,” “Sponge Bob,” and “Scooby Doo,” seem to have a negative effect on children age 3 to 5. The same study describes a positive effect of other shows like “Dora the Explorer,” “Curious George,” and “Sesame Street.” Though the first group of shows is not actually named in the scholarly article, the lead researcher gets specific in a follow-up interview published in the Huffington Post.