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Experts Warn Parents on Excess Screen Time, Blue Light Exposure

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Tuesday, January 18, 2022   

The pandemic shows no signs of ending soon, and with working from home and distance learning still a reality for many households - health experts are concerned about the mental, social and physical health of children using digital devices. That includes the possible damaging effects of blue light.

Scott Edmonds is chief eye-care officer at United Healthcare.

He said blue light is a low-wavelength, high-energy light that can boost a person's alertness. But long-term, too much exposure can potentially damage cells in the retina and disrupt sleep patterns.

The amount of screen time has only increased during the pandemic.

"This 13 hours a day is a big uptick from pre-pandemic numbers which were somewhere in that 8-to-10 hours a day," said Edmonds.

Experts say the best ways to reduce blue-light impact is to keep screens at least 30 inches away from your eyes and to use a blue-light filter or glasses. Another recommendation is the "20-20-20" rule - after 20 minutes of computer work, take 20 seconds to look at something that's 20 feet away.

Studies regarding the dangers of too much screen time find other effects to worry about, including poor mental health and not enough physical activity. Ilana Lowrey, director of Common Sense Arizona, stressed the importance of children developing one-on-one social skills.

"When you can learn to be a critical thinker from a very young age, that sticks with you," said Lowrey. "You can't always do that when you're just watching TikTok challenges and stuff like that. When you have face time with people, you learn how to be social, learn how to interact."

Lowery said that while more technology use is normal these days, parents should consider trying to limit access and cut down on screen time. She added that parents also need to set a good example.

"It's critical, really, for families to think about how they use media as a family," said Lowrey. "And I think it's really important for parents or caregivers to model the behavior that they want their kids to have."

She said research indicates that even before the pandemic, adults and kids were logging too much screen time.

Disclosure: United Healthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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