Your children are probably always begging for more screen time, whether that means watching television shows or playing video games on a variety of handheld digital devices. In our modern culture that is quickly being overtaken by digital communications, we need to ensure our kids are digitally adept. But we are doing them a disservice if we, as parents, do not limit their passive digital activity. Just as we saw the in the detrimental couch potato results of kids who watched too much television, we don’t want to see our kids spending too much time on mindless and sedentary digital activities.
In August, the American Heart Association said research has show too much screen time leads to sedentary habits and increased snacking which affects kid health. They issued a new warning that recommends parents limit their children’s screen time to two hours a day. For those aged 2 to 5, the recommended limit is one hour of screen time per day.
Further, they urged parents to step up and be “media mentors” on making sure that some of the time their kids spend on screen is used in a healthy and beneficial manner. Also, they encouraged