Screentime can be beneficial for children if it involves positive interactions


Parents watching with children and discussing the content can have a positive benefit on children's literacy. — Photography skynesher/Getty Images/AFP Relaxnews

Children's screen time doesn't have to have a negative impact on their health and literacy skills. It could even have a positive impact on reading and writing if parents are part of the viewing activity, reveals a new Australian study. Rather than focusing on the amount of time spent in front of screens, the emphasis should be on discussions about the content viewed.

A new study coming out of Australia challenges the established link between the amount of time children can spend in front of a screen and potential problems in their development, academic skills and health. This meta-analysis, covering a sample of 1.9 million children and adolescents, published in Nature Human Behaviour, even suggests that time spent in front of the TV or computer can bring potential benefits for children's general reading and writing skills, as long as these moments are shared with their parents.

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