Overall, children’s screen time doubled in May compared to the same period last year, according to Qustodio, a company that monitors the use of tens of thousands of devices used by children aged 4-15. all around the world. The data showed that usage increased over time: in the United States, for example, children spent an average of 97 minutes a day on YouTube in March and April, compared to 57 minutes in February and almost twice as much use on YouTube. previous year – with similar trends found in Great Britain and Spain. The company calls the month-over-month increase the “Covid Effect”.
Children turn to screens because they say they don’t have alternative activities or entertainment – this is where they hang out with friends and go to school – while technology platforms profit by enticing loyalty through tactics like virtual cash rewards or cash advantages. “limited edition” to maintain the daily “tracks” of use.
“This was a gift for them – we gave them a captive audience: our children,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. The cost will be borne by families, said Dr. Christakis, because the increase in online use is associated with anxiety, depression, obesity and aggression – “and dependence on one’s environment”.
Crucially, the research shows only associations, which means that the intense use of the internet does not necessarily cause these problems. What worries researchers, at the very least, is that the use of devices is a poor substitute for activities known to be central to health, social and physical development, including physical play and other interactions that help children learn how to cope with situations challenging social issues.
However, parents express a kind of hopelessness about their options. Following pre-pandemic rules doesn’t just seem impractical, but it can seem downright mean to keep children away from an important source of socialization.
“So I shoot and what do they do? A puzzle? Learn to sew? Knit? I don’t know what the expectations are, ”said Paraskevi Briasouli, a corporate writer who is raising four children – 8, 6, 3 and 1 years old – with her husband in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Device time has replaced sports on weekday afternoons and increased by 70% on weekends, she said.