# 39 - Kids , technology, health - Read it

With the high technology , almost all the family members in the house are using smartphone, iPad, tablet, laptop or computer. Those can make your work more easier but not for baby or kids. With kids spending so much time on various devices, parents are bound to question the effects of staring at screens all day long. You already know that doing too much work at your computer or looking at your phone for extended periods makes your own eyes dry and blurry. What are the effects on a child's developing eyes? Will too much time on the phone, iPad, tablet, or computer ruin your child's eyes?

Babies and toddlers love playing with smartphones and tablets, and quickly get the hang of them. When you're a busy parent, it’s an easy way to keep your baby or young child entertained while you cook the dinner or finish a car journey. You may also feel it's important for your child to get a head start on learning digital skills. But many experts worry that too much screen time may be harmful for babies and children, even at a very young age.

Children are exposed to screens for longer amounts of time than ever before. New research indicates that your child may be at increased risk for long-term vision problems; however, the phenomenon of children spending large quantities of their day interacting with screens is fairly recent, so the studies are not yet conclusive. Sure, television and video games have been around for decades already. But, children now have the opportunity to take mobile devices with them everywhere they go. They use a phone on car trips.

Touch-screen technology makes it very easy for even babies to use tablets. Doctors are concerned about how screen use affects children's rapidly developing brains. Doctors say that over-exposure has an impact on attention span and concentration, as well as appetite control. Screen time encourages a more sedentary lifestyle. Babies should be encouraged to explore the world physically and toddlers need to be active for three hours a day to grow healthily.

Considering the amount of time kids spend interacting with devices, it's no surprise that they, like adults, are susceptible to eye strain. The symptoms for children are the same as those for adults. So, watch out for complaints of:

* Dry, sore eyes
* Blurry vision
* Double vision
* Headaches

If your child mentions any of these symptoms to you after an extended period of screen use, take measures to ease the strain on your child's vision (discussed below). The above video should help you understand more about the effects of screen habits on kids. When it comes to your child's overall health, it's a good idea to limit the amount of time spent on devices.

Some research indicates that constantly focusing at close visual ranges, such as with tablets or computers, may stress the eye and eventually lead to nearsightedness. However, the most common cause of nearsightedness in children is simply heredity. Children with nearsighted parents are more likely to develop nearsightedness, also called myopia, themselves.

Research on the matter will likely continue, since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that kids get more than 8 hours of screen time per day on average. The amount of time on screens actually increases as children grow to adulthood, with young adults spending the most time looking at screens. Regardless of whether additional research finds long-term effects to be a serious concern, it's best to start teaching your children now about how to take care of their vision while using devices with screens.

Spend time with your child is more meaningful than giving them a smart phone or iPad

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