World Health Organisation STOP Screen Time for Early Childhood
This statement I pulled out form below highlights the problem we have with vested interests in the Internet versus the health and wellbeing of people. I know as an educator and having had training in Early Childhood IT is not good for kids. Kindergarten teachers said their development is stunted. Others observed the children can’t think outside the box, it stifles creativity. I watched a mother give her phone to two children around 2. I quietly observed. The children were fixed on the screen, they did not look at anyone. They were not exposed to human interactions. I watched the other mothers in this mothers group. The children were on their laps, they were touching them, interacting, talking to them as the children were exposed to social interaction. Motherhood is not respected or understood as one of the most vital areas of human life (father’s who are actively engaged I include here). It has been taken for granted. The digital disruption in childhood is deeply concerning. The two kids were not aware of their environment. I saw this as stunting empathy. They will not respond normally if this becomes their modus operandi. I did approach the mother and offered to talk to the group about my research. She didn’t contact me.
There are those who just see the money and do not care about the wellbeing of children as they are disconnected from society given work is life. Their intent is not shaped by the natural desire to serve humanity it is about serving self interest as business interests, this is how business becomes society but in truth it has no idea the damage that is being done in the name of profit. This is the dynamic at play here.
Children will lose the sense of play, interaction, emotional development, language skills and I can predict without an algorithm, bullying will increase as detachment is hard wired in. They won’t respond normally to events that are horrifying, like an off switch as the neural network patterning didn’t occur by observing others or learning from the video which is 2 dimensional.
Some of course know this is the outcome of IT over usage and early age disruption but the majority have no idea. I agree digital disruption is here but not in the sense they see. To truly see is to know. Mind control or free dominion is the deeper question. I see agenda’s at play that seek to shape behaviour and attitudes. Is it a brave new world or one that is terrified?
WHO’s screen time advice “overly focuses on quantity of screen time and fails to consider the content and context of use,” said Andrew Przybylski, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. “Not all screen time is created equal.”
We have the same problem with the environment or any social issue that confronts those who have power and do not want impediments. I see it as a mental health issue as my awareness deepens. It is a blind spot as they deny responsibility in truth.
http://time.com/5577349/world-health-organization-screen-time-guidelines-kids/
The World Health Organization Issues First-Ever Screen Time Guidelines for Young Kids. Here’s What to Know
By Associated Press April 24, 2019
(LONDON) — The World Health Organization has issued its first-ever guidance for how much screen time children under 5 should get: not very much, and none at all for those under 1.
The U.N. health agency said Wednesday that kids under 5 should not spend more than one hour watching screens every day — and that less is better.
The guidelines are somewhat similar to advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics. That group recommends children younger than 18 months should avoid screens other than video chats. It says parents of young children under two should choose “high-quality programming” with educational value and that can be watched with a parent to help kids understand what they’re seeing.
Some groups said WHO’s screen time guidelines failed to consider the potential benefits of digital media.
WHO’s screen time advice “overly focuses on quantity of screen time and fails to consider the content and context of use,” said Andrew Przybylski, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. “Not all screen time is created equal.”
Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said the data available were too weak to allow its experts to set any thresholds for the appropriate level of screen time.
“Our research has shown that currently there is not strong enough evidence to support the setting of screen time limits,” said Dr. Max Davie, the college’s Officer for Health Improvement. “The restricted screen time limits suggested by WHO do not seem proportionate to the potential harm,” he said.
WHO did not specifically detail the potential harm caused by too much screen time, but said the guidelines — which also included recommendations for physical activity and sleep — were needed to address the increasing amount of sedentary behavior in the general population. It noted that physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for death and a contributor to the rise in obesity.
The agency said infants less than 1 year should spend at least half an hour every day on their stomachs and that older kids should get at least three hours of physical activity every day.