ScienceDaily: Getting kids outdoors can reduce the negative effects of screen time

“In the study, which will be published in March in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers followed 885 children from 18 months to 4 years of age. They looked at the relationship between three key features: average amount of screen time per day at age 2, amount of outdoor play at age 2 years 8 months, and neurodevelopmental outcomes -- specifically, communication, daily living skills, and socialization scores according to a standardized assessment tool called Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II -- at age 4.

"Although both communication and daily living skills were worse in 4-year-old children who had had more screen time at aged 2, outdoor play time had very different effects on these two neurodevelopmental outcomes," explains Kenji J. Tsuchiya, Professor at Osaka University and lead author of the study. "We were surprised to find that outdoor play didn't really alter the negative effects of screen time on communication -- but it did have an effect on daily living skills."

Specifically, almost one-fifth of the effects of screen time on daily living skills were mediated by outdoor play, meaning that increasing outdoor play time could reduce the negative effects of screen time on daily living skills by almost 20%. The researchers also found that, although it was not linked to screen time, socialization was better in 4-year-olds who had spent more time playing outside at 2 years 8 months of age.”

My Takeaways:

• Making your children spend some time outside can reverse the negative effects of screen time. Previous studies have shown that there is a significant negative effect of prolonged screen time in the neurodevelopment of children and their social skills.

• Particularly researchers found that spending time outdoors had a positive effect on daily living skills. There was not a significant improvement in social skills however.

• Perhaps not a kid or an adult? This research has some implications for us as well! Spending some time after a long day of work on a computer or just staying inside can improve our well being!

Full article is here!

How much outdoor time do you spend and what do you like doing?