These days digital screens are everywhere. The temptation to rely on these screens for babies and toddlers is too high at times.  It is so easy to just download that latest app and let your kid enjoy and learn at the same time.

A study from American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) claims there are better ways to help your child learn at this critical age than digital screens.

The study claims that young children with heavy media use  are at risk for delays in language development once they start school.

Dr Ari Brown, MD, FAAP, lead author of the study recommends

In today’s ‘achievement culture,’ the best thing you can do for your young child is to give her a chance to have unstructured play—both with you and independently. Children need this in order to figure out how the world works

 

Some key findings of the study are

• Now a days many video programs for infants and toddlers are marketed as “educational,” yet evidence does not support this. Quality programs are educational for children only if they understand the content and context of the video. Studies consistently find that children over 2 typically have this understanding
• Young Children learn best from and NEED interactions with humans, not screens.
• When Adults and parents watch their own programs it is conceived as background media for kids. It is a distraction and lowers parent-child interaction. The presence of such background media interferes with a child’s learning and play.
• TV viewing around bedtime causes poor sleep habits and irregular sleep schedule. This negatively effects a child’s mood , behaviour, and learning.
• Unstructured play time is more valuable for the developing brain than electronic media. Children learn to think creatively, problem solve, and develop reasoning and motor skills at early ages through unstructured, unplugged play. Free play also teaches them how to entertain themselves
• Young Children with heavy media use  are at risk for delays in language development once they start school.

The complete policy can be  read here : Media Use by Children Younger Than Two Years