If you are travelling by bus or sitting at a doctors clinic, you will see kids playing games on mobiles. The other day I saw my cousins kid spending around 2 hours just sitting on a couch watching videos and playing on phone. If the phone is not available then spending time on acomputer or videos games or television is what most kids resort to. Going outdoors to play is a far fetched idea. One reason why constant exposure to screen or screen-based activities is a really bad idea is that it can impair the brain function and health. Dr Jyoti Chawla, Senior Consultant Paediatrics, Paras Panchkula says that reducing screen-based activities can help to rebalance brain chemistry and improve its function. It is important for children in the modern age to have controlled exposure to screens, in particular through video games, television and now mobile phones. Here are a few reasons why reducing screen based activities in kids is good for the brain health. Here are4 tips to stop your child from watching too much TV.

1. Ensures healthy hormone balance:It is seen the spending time on screen or doing related activities trigger dopamine release, which is the hormone majorly responsible for activating addiction pathways. However, reducing the screen time can help balance the hormones melatonin, which is a hormone essential for good health and well-being. Melatonin also gets converted to serotonin, a hormone necessary for calmness, a sense of well-being, and bonding, and it influences mood and social behaviour.

2. Improves blood flow to the frontal lobe: Critical thinking, creative activities, and sports improve frontal lobe blood flow, whereas screen activities tend to localize blood flow to the more primitive areas of the brain. This is not only bad for adultsbut also for children. These shifts in the blood flow can be devastating over time and may impact the development of the brain permanently. Read about whats the right age to give your child a smartphone?

3. Reduces stress hormones: Screen activities are associated with the stress response. This means fight-or-flight hormones are released in the short term, and cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone, is increased over time. Both of these hormonal trends are linked to cognitive, mood and behavioural issues as well as poor physical health.

4. Reduces overstimulation: The brain is not meant to be bombarded with unnatural visual stimulation such as overly bright and intense colors, rapidly shifting scenes, excessive movement, plus the brightness of the screen itself. Moreover, it is also not meant to process man-made electromagnetic fields, which is the case when you spend most of the time on screen. Hence, reducing thescreen exposure can help you to lower the overstimulation to the brain and improve your overall well being.

Also read about reasons why your child is not sleeping tonight!

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Published: September 4, 2017 3:00 pm

The rest is here:
4 reasons you should limit your kid's screen exposure - TheHealthSite

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