Parents know that WHO advises on children's screens until they are 2 years old, but they inactive give them smartphones," Dr. Magdalena Rowicka told PAP. fresh studies show that not deficiency of knowledge, but stress makes kindergarten teachers spend a fewer hours a day in front of the screen.
The latest survey “Creating in the Network 3.0”, conducted by the squad under the direction of Dr Magdalena Rowicka from the Maria Grzegorzewski Academy of peculiar Pedagogy in Warsaw, brings many answers to doubts about the parents of pre-school children, e.g. whether and how long young children can usage screens, e.g. tablet.
This is simply a continuation of 2 erstwhile editions, which showed that already 1 3rd of children in Poland usage screen devices before the age of 2. Children frequently usage screens alone, passively, without the presence of a parent, as well as just before bedtime, which is peculiarly detrimental to their development.
– We see very clearly that children's contact with screens starts in Poland much earlier than recommended by experts – stressed Dr. Rowick in her interview with PAP. – Even children under the age of 2 spend time with a smartphone or tablet. Parents frequently view this as something completely natural, while the consequences for emotional and cognitive improvement may be serious She added.
The planet wellness Organization and global pediatric societies urge that children until their second year of age have no contact with screen devices at all. Children of pre-school age may usage them at most for 1 hr a day, preferably together with their parent, in the context of active conversation and explanation of content.
However, the results of the survey “Walking on the network 1.0” and “Walking on the network 2.0” showed that in practice these principles are commonly broken. The youngest usage the screens much longer, frequently alone and in situations that peculiarly disturb the rhythm of the day, as just before bedtime. The latest edition of the task tries to answer the question of why this is happening erstwhile – as parents declare – they know what the recommendations are.
– Parents know what recommendations say. The problem is not deficiency of knowledge, but deficiency of strength to implement it into everyday life. – noted Dr. Rowick. “When a kid gets bored, yells, fights with his siblings, erstwhile the parent is tired after work – the smartphone becomes a fast and easy solution”, she pointed out.
One of the main conclusions of Network 3.0 is the large importance of parental stress and the resulting frustration of the parent in deciding to share screens with children. Researchers note that the higher the level of intellectual stress in the parent, the more frequently the kid gets a call “to calm down” or “to take care of himself”.
– A parent who is overloaded frequently lacks the resources to engage in dialog or to propose alternate activities. Turning on a fairy tale seems like the easiest way out. It's understandable, but it's not safe – explained Dr. Rowick. – This is how the vicious ellipse starts. A kid learns to regulate emotions utilizing the screen, and the parent perpetuates the belief that it is an effective method She added.
The survey besides looked at parents' beliefs about the educational possible of mobile applications. Many believe that applications advertised as educational make the kid faster and more effectively than conventional forms of fun.
– It's 1 of the top myths. Analysis shows that the vast majority of popular applications have low educational value. Children click on flash pictures, collect points and rewards, but learn nothing that supports their memory, concentration or creativity – pointed out Dr. Rowick. – We can see that the excess of specified stimuli weakens cognitive functions and can lead to learning difficulties - She assessed.
As in the case of applications, the quality of the watched content is of large importance. The investigation squad indicates that many popular stories specified as “Macha and Bear” or “Lemingi”, can model negative emotions and behavior, perpetuating aggressive patterns or deficiency of respect for adults. At the same time, there are affirmative examples, specified as the Australian tv series Bluey, which promotes cooperation, empathy and coping with emotions.
– Content matters. It's not just how much time the kid spends in front of the screen, it's besides what he watches and how. A fairy tale that shows constructive ways of dealing with emotions can support development. But the communicative that promotes chaos and aggression does precisely the opposite. – noted Dr. Rowick.
The investigation squad noted that even seemingly innocent situations where a kid gets a telephone to calm down trigger a chain of hazard mechanisms. The kid learns that only the screen allows him to cope with frustration, and the parent becomes convinced that technology solves the problem faster than talking or having fun together.
– If this pattern repeats repeatedly, the hazard of problematic usage of the media in the future increases. This could be the first step towards dependence on technology at school and teenage age. She warned Dr. Rowick.
However, she pointed out that it is not that technology is bad. – Smartphone or tablet is just a tool that can be utilized wisely or in a risky way. The problem begins erstwhile the screen replaces conversation, closeness and shared emotions – concluded the researcher. – Our goal is not to scare, but to show parents that they have a real impact on how their children will usage the media in the future She added.
The investigation task “Creating in the Network” is simply a series of studies initiated by Dr. Magdalena Rowicki. The task was co-financed by the Gambling Problems Management Fund commissioned by the National Anti-Addicts Centre.
The aim of the investigation is to increase cognition about the impact of digital devices on their psychophysical improvement and to analyse the function of parents in shaping these habits.
The survey was conducted on a typical example of parents of children aged 3 to 6 years, in the pre-school group. In total, more than 1,600 parents were examined, of which 1,000 were kid caregivers utilizing screen equipment. The remainder were the parents of children who have no contact with this kind of technology. This made it possible to compare both groups and to check the reliability of the results obtained.
The distribution of the children studied was uniform both in age and gender, which ensures advanced representativeness of the sample. The “Wandering in Network 3.0” task is the 3rd edition of investigation conducted by Dr. Rowicki and her team.
Source: PAP / Mira Suchodolska
