Children under 1 year old are not allowed to watch TV or contact smart devices

Children under 1 year old are not allowed to watch TV, to be exposed to smart devices is the latest warning of the World Health Organization for concerns about the impact of this problem on the health of young children. 

On April 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a number of new guidelines on physical activity, active lifestyles and sleep for children under 5 years old. In this recommendation, WHO has warned that more and more children watch television, use smart devices like phones and tablets, are becoming more and more harmful causes of children's health.

Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, urges everyone to do something healthy from the very beginning of their life to ensure they have good overall health. He emphasized that: Reality has shown that childhood stage is very important for a human development. Poor childhood habits and lifestyles can become destructive factors in the child's later life and cause diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease , stroke ... in number of people in adulthood.

In the report published in the form of news on its website, WHO stated that: For children under 5 years old, not only must minimize the time spent with TV screens, smart devices ... but also It is important to limit the child's sitting in the stroller, sitting in one place for too long, making sure the child has better sleep and more time to play active games to help the body get well.

According to WHO representatives, reducing the time spent with TV or smart devices will help children have more time for physical activities, so the quality of sleep is improved better. This can positively impact children's physical, mental and well-being, helping prevent later childhood obesity .

Many studies have proven that too much time with TVs and smart devices is catastrophic to the health of children. According to The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, exposure to television screens, tablets, and phones for more than 2 hours a day can lead to cognitive impairment and slow thinking in children. Several other studies have shown that overexposure to these devices can lead to vision problems like dry eye syndrome  and poor vision.

Failure to meet current physical activity recommendations is responsible for more than 5 million deaths globally each year in all age groups. Currently, more than 23% of adults and 80% of adolescents are not fully physically active. Healthy physical activity habits, and good sleep habits that are established early in life are maintained through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Therefore, WHO recommends a number of activities for children and adolescents to move away from these devices such as reading, storytelling, singing and puzzles ... These are very important activities for development. development of children.

Some of the important recommendations proposed by WHO are:

For children under 1 year: 

Do physical activity many times a day, do not allow contact with TV screens, smart devices, do not sit in a stroller, in a carrier ... more than 1 hour / time. Therefore, WHO recommends:

Be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, especially through play with the babysitter as much as possible. For toddlers, babies should be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day while awake through play with their caregivers.

Do not let your child lie / sit for more than 1 hour in a stroller, high chair or sit / sleep in a carrier and never let in contact with the TV or smart device. Instead, you or your caregiver should play with your child, read books and tell stories to them.

Sleep time: For children aged 0 - 3 months, babies need about 14-17 hours of sleep a day and 12-16 hours for children from 4-11 months. Getting enough sleep, including naps, helps ensure the quality of sleep, and babies develop healthy.

For children from 1 - 2 years old:

Spend at least 3 hours / day for physical activities and do not allow contact with TV screens, smart devices ... For children at this age, WHO recommends:

Parents and caregivers need to make sure they get at least 3 hours a day of any intensity of physical activity, including moderate to intense physical activity, split activities for the whole day and as much as possible.

Do not rest for more than 1 hour in a stroller, high chair or in a caregiver's back carrier or sit in one place for extended periods of time. For 1 year olds, do not spend time on a static screen (such as watching TV or video, playing computer games). You should also not let your child watch TV, videos, or play computer games. For children 2 years of age and older, the contact time of these devices should not exceed 1 hour, so the contact time should be as little as possible. Instead, children should be able to play with their caregivers, listen to books and tell stories.

Children should sleep time each day from 11-14 hours, including naps. Always make sure your baby gets a good night's sleep and gets enough sleep.

For children 3 - 4 years old: 

Physical activity at least 3 hours / day, exposure time with television screens, smart devices ... not more than 1 hour. The WHO offers the following recommendations for children of this age:

Parents and babysitters need to make sure the baby gets at least 3 hours a day of any intensity of physical activity, with at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The physical activity is spread out evenly throughout the day and as much as possible.

Do not rest for more than 1 hour in a stroller, high chair or in a caregiver's back carrier or sit in one place for extended periods of time. Time to watch TV or interact with smart devices does not exceed 1 hour, so minimize the exposure time as little as possible. Instead, children should be able to play with their caregivers, listen to books and tell stories, run and play ...

Children should sleep time every day from 10 to 13 hours, including naps. Always make sure your baby gets a good night's sleep.