Should you limit kids screen time each day? Have your say

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This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Parents today are wrestling with the dilemma of fulfilling their children's desire for gadgets like smartphones or tablets while trying to manage their screen time. The sound of silence that emanates from a child holed up in their room with a device has become a common experience for many households.

Leading addiction therapist Mandy Saligari has delivered stark cautions to caregivers regarding the perils of excessive gadget use by youngsters, as reported by the Mirror. Her comparison was blunt: handing over electronic devices to kids is akin to "giving them a bottle of wine or a gram of coke." How much screen time is good for kids? Have your say! Join in the conversation .

Emphasizing the gravity of tech addiction, Saligari said: "I always say to people, when you're giving your kid a tablet or a phone, you're really giving them a bottle of wine or a gram of coke. Are you really going to leave them to knock the whole thing out on their own behind closed doors? Why do we pay so much less attention to those things than we do to drugs and alcohol when they work on the same brain impulses? " One concerned father shared his anxieties with The Mirror, saying: "We have to be very careful how long our children spend on their tablets. Any more than an hour and they get incredibly cranky and distressed when you take the device away from them.

"If my son was left to his own devices - quite literally - he would happily sit on his tablet all day if left unchecked. I think it's a serious problem these days, and one that's experienced by parents up and down the country." Guidelines for children's screen time suggest just one hour per day for under-fives and up to two hours daily for those aged up to 17.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is adamant about enforcing this cap for kids between two and five years old. The organisation also strongly recommends no sedentary screen activities for babies and toddlers until they are two years old, which includes watching TV or playing stationary games on gadgets. On the other side of the pond, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises setting sensible limits on 'tablet time'.

In a worrying statistic unearthed by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in 2010, children from 8 to 18 were found to indulge in entertainment media for an average of 7.5 hours a day, well over the advised limits.

These excessive durations have been linked to numerous negative consequences for children's welfare. Behavioural problems can arise in primary school-aged children who engage in more than two hours a day of TV viewing or computer use, with increased likelihood of difficulties pertaining to emotions, social interactions, and attention. Educational setbacks have been linked to primary school children having televisions in their bedrooms, as it tends to negatively impact their academic performance.

Additionally, the risk of obesity can be heightened by excessive sedentary activities such as watching TV and playing video games. Screen time before sleep, often used as a relaxation method, can actually disrupt sleep patterns. The light emitted from screens interferes with the brain's sleep cycle, potentially causing insomnia.

Violence exposure is another concern, with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry noting that violent content in TV shows, movies, music, and video games may desensitize children. Over time, this could lead them to view violence as a viable solution to problems, possibly imitating what they see on screen. While there isn't a recommended maximum screen time for adults, evidence suggests that excessive screen use can have detrimental health effects.

For instance, a study published by the National Library of Medicine found that individuals spending six hours or more per day looking at a screen had an increased risk of depression. A separate study published by Guildford Press Periodicals underscored the benefits of limiting social media use to just 30 minutes a day, leading to a 'significant improvement in well-being'. Consequently, experts are advising adults to restrict their screen time outside of work to less than two hours per day.

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