Health
Children under the age of 2 should not spend any time in front of digital screens, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says in new guidelines that are designed to prevent illnesses later in life.
The Geneva-based UN agency published its first recommendations on Wednesday on how much children under the age of 5 should move around, sleep and watch television or online content.
“Physical inactivity has been identified as a leading risk factor for global mortality and a contributor to the rise in overweight and obesity,’’ the WHO wrote.
According to the guidelines, babies should be physically active at least 30 minutes each day, and this time should be expanded to at least three hours after the first birthday.
Sitting and watching content on television or mobile devices should be limited to one hour between the ages of 2 and 4.
“What is key at this age is interaction with the caregiver,’’ WHO public health expert Juana Willumsen told dpa, recommending playing instead of screen time.
In addition, the WHO recommends that newborns get no less than 17 hours of sleep, which gradually decreases to 10 hours by the age of 3.
The WHO rules are similar to national guidelines that are in place in Australia, Canada, the U.S. and New Zealand.
Willumsen stressed that not only wealthy countries are plagued by lack of activity and excessive screen time.
“It is increasingly an issue in parts of the world with rapid urbanization,’’ she said, pointing to inadequate child care for working parents in less affluent countries. (dpa/NAN)
– Apr. 24, 2019 @ 04:00 GMT |
Tags: toddlers UN health agency recommends zero screen time for babies
