Montreal, Thursday, March 28, 2019 - In the space of a decade, digital devices have changed our relationship to space, time and others. And toddlers are no exception - quite the contrary. What are their risks? In its latest issue on newsstands today, Québec Science magazine looks at this worrying question.
In North America, each household has an average of 7.3 screens. That's a staggering number, given that the first smartphone only appeared in 2007, and the first tablet in 2010.
The average screen time of Canadian children aged three to five is 2 hours every day, which seems to worry experts. In fact, in 2017, the Canadian Paediatric Society's working group made recommendations on screen time for children under five. In short, it advised avoiding all screens before the age of two and not exceeding one hour a day between the ages of two and five.
But while some experts are sounding the alarm, others are advocating keeping a cool head, following the example of a British group that published recommendations on children's screen use in early 2019. These researchers conclude that there is no solid evidence of a direct «toxic» effect.
In its April-May issue, Québec Science takes stock of these divergent positions.
