Life Style.

In this technological era, the question is often asked how should my child spend their recreational time? Just how much time should a child spend on recreational use of electronic media such as mobile phones, laptops and so on. This is called Screen Time. Also what is a reasonable amount of sleep a child should have, and how much physical activity should be encouraged?

In a recent article published in the Journal Pediatrics , Michelle Guerreira and colleagues from Canada recommend two hours recreational screen time, between nine and eleven hours sleep , and an hour of moderate to strenuous physical activity . They also recommend to restrict screen time at least an hour before bedtime, to allow children brains and bodies to prepare for sleep, and to create a tech-free bedroom.

In the article they collected data from 4524 children between 8 and 11 years. They showed adequate sleep time, and screen time limitation consistently and significantly lowered levels of impulsivity, which is a major component of concentration difficulties and attention deficit disorders. In this study they did not show a clear correlation between physical activity and impulsivity.

I also agree that screen time should be limited to 2 hours per day, stopping at least an hour before bedtime. The bedroom should be tech-free. Between 9 to 11 hours of sleep is appropriate, and an hour of physical activity.