Toddlers and their parents are being encouraged to put their screens away and choose to play instead, by the States.
The ‘Screens Away, Time to Play’ campaign aims to help families of children under four “build age-appropriate screen habits”.
The campaign, which includes posters, leaflets, and a website – was “designed with parents in mind”, organisers said.
Zara Betts, an Early Years Speech and Language Therapist, said the campaign was “not about shaming or blaming parents”.
“We know that parenting a baby or toddler is one of the most demanding jobs there is,” she added.
Low-cost ideas
Research showed that “young children learn best through real-life interaction – that’s through talking, playing, singing, reading, and simply spending time together,” Ms Betts said.
Young children who spent too much time on their screens risked abnormal brain development, according to research by the World Health Organisation.
There were potential impacts on language development, attention, sleep, eyesight, emotional regulation and overall wellbeing, the research showed.
‘Screens Away, Time to Play’ would share “realistic, low-cost ideas that fit into everyday family life” and could “make a big difference to a child’s communication, attention, and
overall development”, Ms Betts added.
Supervision
The campaign also aimed to highlight the importance of supervising the content children can access, a spokesperson said.
It also wanted to draw attention to the “impact of adult screen use around babies and young children”.
“When devices take away attention, even briefly, valuable opportunities for eye contact, conversation and back-and-forth interaction is missed,” a spokesperson said.
