Screen Time in Infancy May Affect Brain Development

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Scientists say that too much screen time for babies may affect how their brains develop. In Singapore, researchers found that kids who spent a lot of time in front of screens when they were babies had some problems with attention and thinking when they were 9 years old. The scientists looked at information from over 400 kids. When the kids were 12 months old, their parents said how much time they spent on screens each day. The parents shared this information five more times while their kids grew up.

The scientists checked the brain activity of some kids when they were 18 months old. They also used tests and reports from teachers when the kids were 9 years old. They found that the more time kids spent with screens, the more their brain activity changed, and the worse they did in tasks that need planning and attention.

The kids in the study spent around two hours each day on screens when they were 12 months old. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says kids under 18 months should not have any screen time, except for video chats. Evelyn Law, who led the study, said it shows that we need to watch how much time kids spend on screens, especially when their brains are still developing.

The researchers did not check what the kids were watching, and they didn't measure screen time themselves.

Questions

1- What did scientists in Singapore find about babies who spent a lot of time in front of screens?

2- How many times did parents share information about their babies' screen time in the study?

3- What does the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommend for children under 18 months regarding screen time?

Congratulations!

You have completed the comprehension questions. 

Parts of this lesson are based on: An article by Bill Smith.