Children’s screen time surged during pandemic: study

Children have been spending almost triple the recommended amount of screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Western-led study. Published in the  Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, the research found that, on average, children had nearly six hours of screen time each day. Some children in the study were on their screens even longer, at a staggering 13 hours a day. "Our findings were very surprising," said Western education professor and Canada Research Chair Emma Duerden , who co-authored the study with Western researchers Diane Seguin, Elizabeth Kuenzel and J. Bruce Morton. "It was almost three times as much as the recommended amount," Duerden said. The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends children over five years of age spend two hours a day on their screens. Screen time includes, watching television, using computers, smart phones or playing video games.
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