Media exposure has no benefits for young children, expert says
Abu Dhabi, 22 June 2015: A clinical professor at Yale Child Study Centre advised parents to eliminate screen time from their young children’s daily routine to avoid negative effects such as delayed language development.
In response to questions from concerned parents of young children at the Parenting Talk entitled ‘Children, Parents and the Media: Friend or Foe for Families in the Digital and Wireless Age,’ Dr. Kyle Pruett explained children’s interaction with TVs, computers, tablets and smart phones can disrupt their cognitive growth by upsetting their learning, focus, social skills, and play engagement. Studies have also shown a directly proportional relationship between the increasing rate of obesity in children and their increased screen time.
The talk focused on the importance of caregivers’ interaction during the early years of a child and on ways of using child-friendly technology to ensure beneficial outcomes.
“Research has helped us understand that there are some ways in which the media consumption can be used to help parents in their job as their child’s first teacher, and ways it can interfere with the same job,” explained Dr Pruett while addressing parents.
“The safest way for children to encounter these powerful tools is to be introduced to them by their caregivers so that they are taught and supervised at the same time. It is just like teaching a child how to use a sharp knife for the first time - The child can learn how to use it safely from the parent when he/she is physically and emotionally ready to handle it.
Now in its second successful year, the Parenting Program is comprised of a series of engaging parenting talks and classes presented by world leaders in Early Childhood Development, and designed to support and empower parents and other caregivers of young children and to provide information on best practices that promote healthy outcomes for children.
“The Foundation is committed to the welfare of children because our children are our future,” said Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Nahyan, leader and patron of the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development program. “The Parenting Talks series is a platform to equip and empower parents by providing them with the latest research and information on early childhood care and issues.”
Hosted by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, in collaboration with Yale University, as a part of its Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program, the third series of the parenting talks will be held at the Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and in Al Ain from September 2015 onwards. The talks will also include the Children’s workshop activities at Studio 2 in Manarat Saadiyat where parents can drop their children to get involved in art activities. All sessions are free and open to the public. Interested attendees can register by emailing at eduprogram@shf.ae.
Previous parenting talks have covered topic such as ‘The Importance of Early Childhood Development Programs,’ ‘Can’t you get along? Parenting your children beyond sibling rivalry,’ ‘Bullying Experience in Youth: Nature and Intervention’, and ‘Becoming a parent.’
For more information about the parenting talks visit: http://www.shf.ae/en/news-articles/parenting-talks/
