What happens if my child looks at a screen?

Screen time is a loaded phrase. Many warn against too much of it, but parents know how difficult it can be to pull kids away.

It's not just TVs. It's mobile phones, tablets, computers and the latest wearable. And, they are everywhere, usually within arms reach. 

Jenny Radesky, assistant professor of developmental pediatrics at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, said there are a few things parents should know. 

"Skyping with your grandparents isn’t the same as playing Fruit Ninja for an hour," she said.

Radesky co-authored the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement Media and Young Minds that released last October. She's also a mom who gets it.

"Every family has to find a balance that works for them," she said.

Here's what she and other experts on the topic have observed:

When children are watching a screen, there's less face-to-face conversation. 

New research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting suggests infants who look at mobile devices for 30 minutes or more per day are likely to have speech delays.

About 890 children between 6-months and 2-years-old participated in the study between 2011 and 2015. For each 30-minutes of reported handheld screen time, researchers found about a 50% increased risk of expressive speech delay (being able to put thoughts into words). 

"Please don’t buy into the marketing claims from baby TV stations or from baby-oriented media, because the evidence shows that they are just looking at the lights and ... not comprehending what’s on the screen," Radesky said. "Those are critical months in terms of language development and getting out and exploring their 3D world."

Screen time can affect behavior, and promote weight gain. 

A California State University study showed technology does have an affect on children's health. Increased technology use was linked to psychological, including difficulty with attention, and physical health problems, including weight gain and sickness in the study.

"Our preteens and teenagers need help in reducing screen time in favor of physical activity," the study states.

A commentary published in Pediatrics in 2015 questioned if significant use of devices in early childhood could affect development of empathy, and social and problem solving skills, which are often a result of exploring and face-to-face interaction. Currently, there isn't a lot of research available on this, but there's plenty of research showing the benefits of parent-child interaction and real life play. 

The AAP suggests children younger than 18 months avoid screens, with the exception of video chatting, all together. For children 2 to 5, limit screen use to an hour a day. It's recommended children 6 and older have consistent limits on screen time. 

Some media is linked to sleep trouble.

An analysis published late last year in JAMA Pediatrics found that children 6 to 19-years-old who had access to a media device at bedtime didn't sleep well. The research looked at 467 studies of more than 100 thousand children. Even children that had access to a device and didn't use it were more likely to sleep less or poorly and have daytime sleepiness.

Violent media, including shows, films and video games, has also been linked to nightmares. 

The AAP recommends screens are turned off 30 minutes before bedtime and no screens should be in children's bedrooms. 

Screens can be teachable devices.

Screen time isn't all bad. (The USA TODAY journalist who is writing this article learned her ABCs from Sesame Street.)

"The concept of screen time itself is almost meaningless," said Michael Robb, director of research with Common Sense Media. "It’s not about the time, it’s about the content. It’s about the context and about the child themselves."

Common Sense Media, a non-profit that provides ratings and reviews based on existing research, offers media content recommendations based on age. Recommendations don't just focus on sex and violence, but also education. For example, toddlers learn best from simple, slow-moving shows or apps. Media with complex patterns and quick cuts confuses them, Robb said. 

On a whole, if educational media at the right pace is presented to children, often with parents nearby, it can be a valuable teaching tool. 

"Think of using media as a way to see something a child otherwise wouldn’t see," Radesky said. "Like looking at YouTube videos of volcanos or spaceships taking off."

Plus, media use today isn't always sedentary. Just think of Pokémon Go. 

When it comes to screen time, Radesky said, the question really should be: "How am I using media in my home?"

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