Children First, which observes child health and behavior have released their findings, which reveals that most Cypriot children aged 6 and 7 have a screen time higher than their safety limits.
According to the WHO guidelines, children between the ages of 5 and 13 must not have a screen time that is more than 2 hours per day.
However, the survey revealed that children spent over 90 minutes watching content daily, in addition to 45 minutes and 90 minutes of gaming per day in the weekdays and weekends respectively.
The study mentioned that this level of screen exposure can cause digital addiction, which in turn may cause physical and mental health issues.
More specifically, children using screens for over 120 minutes can cause lack of mental wellness, lessened self-esteem, strained family bonds, and higher degree of sedentary lifestyle, which in turn can lead to obesity and being overweight.
The observatory was founded in 2022 and is operated by Cyprus University of Technology and the University of Cyprus. Its job is to monitor the health as well as environmental factors for children across twenty-two schools in the island nation.
They report children’s individual data to parents securely, and report the total data to the scientific community at large and of course to the authorities.
The research further revealed that children?s behavior largely also depends upon that of their parents – and screen time is no exception.
To no one?s surprise, children often imitate their parents and parents who use screens when they shouldn’t tend to have children who do the same.
The observatory recommends that simple acts like regularized breaks, consistent exercise, a wholesome daily routine and encouraging engaging work can easily cut down the need to take to a screen to spend time.
