As reported by dailyRx.com, while studies have found that excessive screen time negatively affects children’s physical and mental health, usage restrictions need to be reconsidered as technology takes a strong precedence in daily life.

“...The bigger thing to study is what effect on children is a lifestyle (children’s and parent’s) that is dominated by gadgets like TV, phones, laptops, computers, video games and iPads,” said Dr. Anand Bhatt, a board-certified pediatrician on staff at Baylor Medical Center in Irving, TX.

A new study published in the journal BMC Public Health suggests that the recommended “less than two hours per day” (which was proposed by The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2001) for electronic devices is no longer realistic, and new guidelines need to be constructed.

“Around 63 percent of the kids reported that their use of all these possible screens went over the suggested limit of two hours per day,” reported dailyRx. “Among the youngest patients (age 8), only 45 percent exceeded the guidelines. For those ages 14 to 15, however, 80 percent went beyond the limit.”

This story is especially interesting as tablets and other computer technology are integrated into the classroom more and more.

Read the full story.

By Samantha DiMauro, Education World Contributor