Every hour your child spends on a screen increases their risk of nearsightednessāhereās what the science says. ā¬ļø
A major new study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed data from over 335,000 children and 45 studies and found a clear link between screen time and nearsightedness (myopia).
š± The more screen time, the higher the risk:
* 1 hour/day ā 5% increased risk of myopia
* 4 hours/day ā 97% increased risk of myopia
* More than 4 hours? The risk keeps rising, but more gradually.
That means for every extra hour your child spends on a screen, their risk of nearsightedness goes up by 21%!
Why? Prolonged near work on screens strains young eyes and causes excessive eye growthāleading to blurry distance vision.
The study suggests a potential āsafe zoneā of 1 hour or less of digital screen time per day.
BUTāHereās What This Study Didnāt Tell Us
šØ This study has some limitations! It only looked at screen timeānot all types of near work
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* Is reading a book for 4 hours just as bad? We donāt know, because the study didnāt compare!
* Most screen time reports were based on parent estimates, which arenāt always accurate.
* It doesnāt account for HOW kids use screensāclose-up phone use in dim lighting is worse than watching TV across the room.
But an interesting study which cements what most of us in the field have long suspected. #childhoodunplugged #parentingtips #screentime
