How little screen time should your kids have? Federal report offers guidance

(NEXSTAR) – If you’re reading this, it may be time for your kid to take a break from their screen. 

On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a new warning about screen time for children, emphasizing the impacts it can have on their sleep and mental health. 

Concerns over children spending too much time on phones, tablets, and any other technology with a screen have long been expressed. 

Schools throughout the country have, in recent years, been enacting cellphone bans. A school district in Oklahoma moved to largely eliminate Chromebooks in the classroom. Other states have taken action to restrict social media usage for teenagers. 

“Exposure often begins before a child’s first birthday and increases as children age. By adolescence, children may spend more time on screens than sleeping or attending school,” the HHS report, the “Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use,” said. 

The report includes information and guidance for parents and schools on how to manage screen time among children. It lists many “warning signs” that suggest screen use has become harmful for a child, including using screens to feel better, becoming upset when screen time ends, experiencing emotional withdrawal when there are no screens available, and not engaging in in-person interactions. 

Among........

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