According to a survey, 81 percent of all three- to six-year-olds use the internet every day, and the trend is rising, Safer Internet trainer Marietheres van Veen reported at a press conference on Wednesday. The health consequences of too long use are significant: there is a risk of nearsightedness, poor posture and sensory overload.
The ‘media pressure’ is certainly there, says the expert. If the cartoon heroes use something, the kids want it too. Moreover, the generation of parents lacks digital education. Books are considered ‘obsolete’. Therefore, children are more likely to be read to on their mobile phones. The parents often cannot keep the children away from their mobile phones, but the children often see the parents interacting with the devices.
Consequences of too much screen time
The only health consequence of heavy use is myopia – this is often caused by reading too close and for long periods without daylight. Four percent of all three-year-olds in Germany suffer from it, 9.8 percent of ten-year-olds and 27 percent of 16-year-olds, reports Markus Gschweidl, guild master of opticians. In old age, there is also a risk of other diseases, such as macular degeneration, cataracts or glaucoma.
Nearsightedness cannot be cured, but it can be treated with special contact lenses and glasses, among other things. It would also be important to spend a lot of time outside in broad daylight, says the expert. In some cases, the devices themselves respond too, such as through the iPad’s screen distance feature, which activates the lock screen if it’s too close.
20/20/20 rule
Gschweindl and physiotherapist Peter Weese recommended reducing the amount of screen time, keeping enough distance from the screen, getting enough exercise outdoors, blinking actively, and regularly interrupting near and far vision. According to the 20/20/20 rule, you should look at an object 20 meters away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Source: Krone
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