Khaberni - A 15-year study has shown that children who spend long periods in front of electronic device screens are at increased risk of failing to achieve their educational ambitions.
A team of researchers in hospitals in Canada said, "Spending a lot of time in front of screens in early childhood is associated with lower children's grades in reading and math," while their writing skills were not significantly affected.
The team found that spending one hour a day in front of the screen "is associated with a 10% decrease in the likelihood of achieving higher academic levels," after comparing parent data on the time their child spends in front of the screen with the performance of about 3,300 pupils in Ontario city in reading and math tests.
The results of the study were published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open and suggest the "need for early interventions to reduce screen exposure time" to help "improve educational attainment in elementary school," according to researchers.
Catherine Birken from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto stated: "Screen time is part of everyday life for most families, and prolonged exposure, particularly to television and digital media, can have a significant impact on children's academic attainment."
Jennifer Hoff, Director of the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, who oversees the school tests used in the study says that the results provide "important insights into how early childhood experiences—such as spending time in front of screens—affect academic achievement."
The team pointed to the need for further research to determine the extent to which the impact on academic achievement varies in light of the varying time each child spends in front of the screen along with "the type of content the children watch."
