Should Parents Allow Their Children Use Smartphones and Tablets? The Issue of Screen Time for Recreational Activities

Previous research has shown that children are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) and blue light emitted from digital screens compared to healthy adults. This paper presents the findings of a cross-sectional study conducted in Yasuj, Iran, to investigate the screen time habits of children and adolescents and its potential impact on their health. A total of ۶۳ participants, including ۴۴ boys and ۱۹ girls, were randomly selected for the study. The results showed that the average daily screen time for the children was ۸۷.۳۸ minutes, with a standard deviation of ۴۹.۵۸. When examining the specific purposes of screen time, it was found that the children spent an average of ۱۷.۵۴ minutes per day on screens for school assignments, ۷۰ minutes per day for recreational purposes, and ۲۳.۴۱ minutes per day for contacting family, friends, and relatives. Our study highlights that a significant portion of the children’s screen time was allocated to recreational activities. We observed some differences in screen time between girls and boys. Boys had a slightly higher overall daily screen time, primarily driven by more recreational screen time. However, girls spent slightly more time on screens for school assignments. The screen time for social interactions was similar for both genders. Our findings on the cognitive performance of children with different levels of screen time will be published in a separate paper.

Keywords:

Radiofrequency , Electromagnetic Fields , children , Adolescent , Mobile Phones , Screen Time