Toddlers playing with touchscreens sleep less: study: HumSub.TV
Toddlers playing with touchscreens sleep less: study: HumSub.TV: The more toddlers play with touchscreen devices the less they sleep, according to a study released Thursday that suggests the findings could be cause for concern.
For every additional hour using a touchscreen phone or tablet during the day, children aged six months to three years slept nearly 16 minutes less in each 24 hour period, researchers reported in the journal Scientific Reports.
But the study could not determine if the extra screen time was responsible for tiny tots sleeping less, or if the loss of shuteye had any adverse health effects.
One expert not involved in the research said the results “should be interpreted with extreme caution.”
Sleep is critical for cognitive development, especially during the first few years of life, when the brain and sleep patterns evolve in tandem.
Earlier research has shown that television watching and video game use are linked to sleep problems in children.
But the burgeoning use of touchscreens by an even younger cohort remained unexplored.
In 2014, more than 70 percent of families in Britain, where the study was conducted, owned a touchscreen device.
For the study, parents of 715 infants and toddlers were asked to report their child s daytime and night-time sleep, how quickly their children fell into slumber, and how often they woke during the night. The time children spent on touchscreen devices was also tracked.
Three-quarters of toddlers monitored used a touchscreen tablet or phone on a daily basis. For children aged two or three, that percentage climbed to 92. On average, the devices were used 25 minutes per day.
Not only did more screen time correlate with less sleep, it was also associated with a longer transition into slumber. The quality of sleep, however, did not appear to change.
Several experts commenting on the findings challenged the study s methodology and conclusions.
“There could be many possible explanations” for the link between screen time and less sleep, said Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of statistics at The Open University in Britain.
“It could be the other way round — maybe the parents of toddlers who already sleep less are more likely to let their children use touchscreens,” he said.
It was also pointed out that the average amount of lost sleep every day — about six minutes — may not be significant at an age when children sleep on average 12 hours out of very 24.
“This is a timely piece of research given the already controversial topic of screen use in childhood and adolescence,” said Anna Joyce, an expert in cognitive development psychology at Coventry University in England.
Other research has shown that scrolling touchscreens helps develop find motor skills in very young children.
Toddlers playing with touchscreens sleep less: study: HumSub.TV
Toddlers playing with touchscreens sleep less: study: HumSub.TV
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Introduction
HumSub TV is Pakistan’s leading forwarding-thinking, edutainment channel, aimed at promoting and upholding peace, interfaith harmony and social responsibility within Pakistan through informative and insightful programmes and documentaries; analytical interviews on issues pertaining to social, economic, legal and environmental set-up; dedicated shows to canvass and thereby promote the culture and heritage of Pakistan and in-depth coverage of national and international news.
HumSub TV is the first channel and thus a pioneer within its own right that mainly focuses on emphasising the “Rights” as well as the “Obligations” of the citizens in light of the Constitution of Pakistan, numerous International declarations signed by the Government and various laws that have been promulgated over the years but are not in the knowledge of the common citizen.
HumSub TV also aims to enter into bilateral agreements with other countries to promote not only their culture, heritage and tourism, but also their educational and medical facilities.
Following the successful launch of HumSub TV’s head office in Blue Area, Islamabad; the bureau office has been set up in Lahore.
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To project positive image building of Pakistan and inculcate nationalism, as per the vision of the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Mission
HumSub TV is resolute about the promotion of a pluralistic, inclusive and egalitarian society in Pakistan where all citizens are allowed to contribute to promote interfaith harmony, peace and collective wisdom in the social, political and economic development of Pakistan and to encourage critical and lateral thinking in the society. HumSub TV strives to make a positive contribution to this end.
HumSub TV’s Theme
HumSub TV, Pakistan’s first EDUTAINMENT Channel, has been set up for not only those audience residing in Pakistan or overseas but the international community on the whole. The vision of the channel is to project positive image building of Pakistan and inculcate nationalism as per the vision of the founder of the nation.
HumSub TV strives to make a positive contribution to this end by promoting pluralism, inclusiveness and egality in Pakistan and give voice to the suppressed. It endeavors to act as a positive catalyst for social change and Pakistani nationalism. It envisions providing a platform for airing critical and lateral thinking and collective wisdom by inviting positive minded intellectuals and opinion forming individuals for the promotion of interfaith harmony and peace in the social, political and economic development of Pakistan.
Whereas the channel airs upbeat edutainment programmes, it, nonetheless, has the primary objective of countering negative anti-Pakistan regional and international propaganda as well as advancing fundamental rights as encapsulated in the Constitution of Pakistan.
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