Parents in North Hastings are being encouraged to limit how much time their kids spend in front of screens.
This comes as the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Hastings and Prince Edward has launched its latest campaign ‘Power Off and Play.’ The goal is to get kids to turn off screens before they go to sleep, and during meals and snack times. Program Manager Emily Bray says too much screen time can be bad for a child’s development and health.
Bray says some screen time can be good for a child if it’s related to learning, but the concern centres around recreational use. She says there are some steps parents can take to help their kids cut down on screen time.
Bray says less than a quarter of local children meet national screen time guidelines, which is consistent with the rest of the county. The Canadian Society for Exercise and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend that kids under two should not spend any time in front of screens. Those between two and four years old should spend less than an hour a day, and those between five and 17 should not go over two hours.
