Caitlin Whyte (Host): In today's tech-driven world, navigating screen time for kids can feel like exploring uncharted territory. So today, we are going to discuss some ways to balance screen time with our kids. And we are joined for this important conversation by pediatrician, Dr. Lucretia Carter.

Welcome to the Better Health Podcast presented by Tidelands Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, doctor. My first questions for you are, what are some of the potential benefits and also drawbacks of screen time for our children?

Lucretia Carter: Well, thank you for having me. This is something that I think all parents sort of come in contact with during the raising of their children, whether a young child or a teenager. But there are certainly some benefits to screen time. Certainly, most of the educational platforms that we're using nowadays, whether it's in a classroom setting or online learning, takes place from a screen. However, we do have to make sure that our children are getting quality content from screen time that's not education-related. And also, make sure we're aware of any hazards that can come from that.

Host: Of course. Well, how does excessive screen time impact children's physical health, such as their sleep patterns and eye health?

Lucretia Carter: Well, we absolutely recommend that children who are forced to have screen time for whatever reason, they certainly limit that at least an hour before bedtime. It has definitely been shown that excessive screen time or screen time close to bedtime can impact the amount of sleep and the ability to get the sleep. And that certainly can be negative for a child who has to get up and go to school the next day, or just overall on their behavior. If anybody knows what a toddler is like that is very tired. But also, there have been some studies that have shown that the overall attention span may not be as strengthened as it could be if there is excessive screen time for anyone, whether it's a young child or even an older child or an adult.

Host: Oh, as a 30 something who is always on their phone way too late in bed, I understand. So then, what are the psychological effects of prolonged screen time on children's cognitive development and mental wellbeing.

Lucretia Carter: Well, unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of studies that actually have a definitive proof of one thing or another. However, in some smaller studies, there has been some links between children, especially young children under the age of three who are exposed to Not just screen time, but also more violent or more aggressive type screening can impact just the development of the white and grey matter within the brain.

Certainly in a younger child, they have the ability for further brain development. So there is an opportunity to hopefully reverse or, at least, decrease some of that negative impact. But we really want to focus teaching our children about appropriate screen time the earlier years rather than in the later years.

Host: Of course. Well, that leads me into my next question. How can parents strike that balance between allowing beneficial screen time activities and limiting those harmful effects?

Lucretia Carter: Well, when we're looking at our children, you know, we really have to break it down into their age range. So, we truly do not recommend any screen time or at least limiting that screen time to video chatting maybe with relatives or something for children who are under the age of two. Now, If your child in that toddler, range from 18 months to two years of age, making sure they're getting quality content. If, you know, it's a must, you're going on a long trip, you want to occupy their time with something, educational programming certainly would be best. And then, In our children who are kind of preschool age range, we want to limit overall screen time to an hour or less a day. And then, ideally, in children older than five, two hours or less a day.

Host: Gotcha. Well, wrapping up today, doctor, how can parents effectively communicate and enforce these screen time rules with their children without causing that friction?

Lucretia Carter: So, the first thing is to just set rules, and really sit down with your child, especially the older children, and come up with a game plan of what you want for acceptable media usage, and what your child actually deems as acceptable media usage. They still have to get their schoolwork done. They still have projects that they're required to do, but being able to monitor what your children are looking at. Have rules about what type of information is shared online. If they are using social media type of apps or programs, making sure they're not giving away personal information, teaching your child not to chat with strangers, and making sure that if there's any sort of uncomfortable behavior, whether it's a young child or an older child, make sure they're comfortable enough with you to let you know what's going on so that you can further investigate that. Also, just checking the history of their devices, to see what websites or apps they may be using and are on is helpful.

Host: Well, thank you so much for joining us today, doctor, and for this guidance. If you would like to find out more, you can visit tidelandshealth.org or call 1-866-TIDELANDS, T-I-D-E-L-A-N-D-S. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channel and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening. I'm Caitlin Whyte, and this is the better health podcast from Tidelands Health.