fbpx

This Country Urges Parents to Significantly Limit Their Kids’ Screen Time

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

This Country Urges Parents to Significantly Limit Their Kids’ Screen Time

By Movieguide® Contributor

Singapore has become one of the first countries to recognize just how harmful screen time is for developing brains, and its Ministry of Health (MOH) has released updated guidelines for parents, greatly restricting the use of technology for kids under the age of 12.

These new guidelines build upon previous recommendations released by the country in March 2023. The updated recommendations include suggestions for parents to disallow any screen time for children under the age of 18 months, going as far as to recommend they don’t even experience screens in the background.

Other guidelines include recommending that children ages 3 to 6 only receive one hour of screen time, with that rising to two hours for ages 7 to 11. Furthermore, the MOH advised that parents not allow kids any unrestricted access to devices, nor should they use any social media platforms.

“This is stronger than previous guidelines and includes even background screen use, such as TV, which some families tend to switch on while having meals,” said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung when discussing the new protocols.

“I believe if parents work together with us, these measures, even though not mandatory by law, will over time go a long way to shape the habits of our young,” he continued.

While agencies in the U.S. have yet to make such strong recommendations, many experts agree that higher screen time correlates with a wide variety of health and developmental issues, especially when applied to young children.

Some states have begun to approach these problems by introducing new regulations into schools, preventing children from having or using phones during class time, in the halls and even during lunch.

Furthermore, last June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recommended a Surgeon General’s warning be applied to social media for the negative impact it has on teen’s mental health. Many adults want to go a step further, with nearly 60% supporting the idea of banning young users from social media altogether.

READ MORE: WOULD THE UNITED STATES EVER BAN CHILD SOCIAL MEDIA USE?


Watch DESPICABLE ME 3
Quality: - Content: +1
Watch TAKING CHANCE
Quality: - Content: +1