Page 35 - TODAY magazine Issue 1 2021

YOUR FAMILY // HEALTH
Why it’s important to hit
PAUSE
Even when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, children, and parents, are spending more and more time in front of screens. Samantha Page explores why it’s important to get them out of the virtual world and into the real world, and how.
Most children can’t imagine a time
before TikTok, YouTube or Spotify – and navigating Instagram, Google Classroom and virtual assistants like Siri has become
as natural as breathing. ‘We, as parents, have to get a handle on it because there’s no going back,’ says Heather Cabot, co-founder and co-author of Geek Girl Rising.
How much is too much?
The growing concerns from parents about children spending more and more time in front of screens and
less time truly connected to friends and family, or outside getting fresh air and exercise, are not exaggerated. Even before Covid forced the whole world to stay at home, a University of Southern California study found that under- fives have excellent digital skills but perform less well in real-life skills. While 70% could play computer games, far fewer were able to tie their shoes or swim.
On average, South Africans spent 8 hours and
25 minutes a day on a device in 2019, while the global average is 6 hours and 41 minutes, according to social
media management forum HootSuite. A third of that time is spent on social media.
Movies, shows, music and apps are a huge time and energy sapper for 8- to-18-year-olds who spend much
of their online time ‘multitasking’ between entertainment, learning platforms, social media and games. It’s no wonder, then, that there is growing evidence of the mental and physical effects of spending such long hours in front of a screen. Some of the most common side effects are loneliness, depression, anxiety, obesity, insomnia, learning and growth deficiencies, and poor posture and eyesight.
Screen time or playtime?
As many as 20% of South African learners are overweight, with twice as many girls affected than boys. The Department of Health further found that 38% aren’t getting enough exercise and recommends 90 minutes a week as part of the school curriculum.
‘Parents often think their children will grow out of their “baby fat” until they realise that their kids have in fact grown into obesity,’ says Kiruben Naiker, a biokineticist