Children under the age of two should not use screens at all, according to the Swedish Association of Pediatricians’ new recommendations.
– We have arrived at that advice by following the science carefully, says Henrik Arnell, secretary of the Swedish Pediatric Association.
On Wednesday, the Norwegian Association of Doctors published new guidelines for how long young children can use screens. Something like DN was the first to report on.
According to the new advice, children under the age of two should not use screens at all. And children between the ages of two and five should have a maximum of one hour a day of screen time.
– We have arrived at that advice by carefully following the science. A lot has happened in the last 2-3 years. There has been pretty good evidence that backs up our advice already in the past, says Henrik Arnell, chief physician at Astrid Lindgren’s children’s hospital, and secretary at the Swedish Pediatric Association.
– Maybe we should have been earlier with the advice. But now there is no talk. Now we can claim that we know that this is not so good for the smallest children, he continues.
Therefore, screen time is limited
It is very tempting for children to sit in front of a screen, which causes children to become sedentary at the screen and lose attention from other things. They are drawn into “that strange world”, explains the pediatrician.
– For a child with a hugely plastic brain, and with the world’s development opportunities, the development of these very important qualities that you must have with you in adulthood is slowed down, says Henrik Arnell.
Is it reasonable to believe that parents should manage to keep their children away from screens?
– I come across a lot of parents at my job and parents are good, they are talented, stable and knowledgeable, thirst for knowledge, and want to do good things. But sometimes you don’t get all the way.
– But we can’t resist telling you what it looks like and what science says just because it can be difficult to get there, he continues.
Henrik Arnell believes that it will take time before parents change their behavior based on the new guidelines.
– We don’t think it will turn around one day, but you need to find other ways to relate to screens, other ways to relate to your children, and maybe it can also create a conversation within the family about how to think,