Children who play a lot learn skills such as sitting, crawling and standing quicker. Play also leads to better health and wellbeing as they grow older.
We tend to think when children are using screens, they are passive and sitting still. But they can move in response to what they watch. Or get inspiration for what to play next.
During the pandemic, many people relied on social media for distraction and social connection. However, excessive social media use can negatively affect mental health, especially for young people.
Researchers with expertise in parent-child relationships and child development offer 5 tips about how parents or caregivers can find a balance between children’s structured and unstructured time.
Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 17 Philadelphia parents about how their family uses digital media. Here they offer tips to promote healthy, balanced media habits for kids.
Navigating disagreements about screens can provide parents with valuable opportunities to foster quality relationships and raise children who can manage themselves responsibly.
Exposure to screens before bedtime can contribute to chronic sleep deprivation, which raises the risk for anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts.
Parents spend more time actively engaged with their kids – such as helping with homework or reading together – during the school year than during summer. But the difference is almost three times greater for moms than for dads.
Policymakers, tech companies and schools should all be part of conversations about how our society is responsible for the new realities of tech in the home after COVID-19 lockdowns.
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary
Assistant professor, School of Psychology, Scientist, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa