(iStock, 2014)
The findings in this blog demonstrate that excessive digital technology use limits the amount of time early childhood aged children spend being physically active and in outdoor play, as well as disrupts their sleeping patterns. This has negative impacts on children’s physical development as physical activity, outdoor play, and sleep are all incredibly important to children’s health, growth, motor development, and overall physical development. At an age when physical development is so important and so many developmental milestones are hit, it is especially important to consider the impacts that excessive technology use may have on children’s physical development. Some future research that I would like to see done in this area would include further research into the impact of increased screen use on time spent outdoors, and blue light exposure on health, as these were both areas that showed some correlation but did not provide enough evidence to prove causation. I would also like to see further research done on how digital technology can be used non-excessively in effective ways that can help to enhance children’s physical development, as this could help to provide further practical advice to parents and educators on how to use technology in children’s best interest.
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