One of the biggest debates in the current parenting world is how much screen time our kids should have.

Are we allowing too much?

Are we being too strict?

What are the long-term effects of too much screen time?

My kids watch TV for a couple of hours a day and they get access to their own tablets and phone over the weekend. I often wonder whether I’m doing the right thing. Sometimes you just need a little break! I know I’m not the only one who’s just needed to get dinner ready and handed the kids a phone or a tablet to distract them. Sometimes you just need a minute, right?

This isn’t a post that’s meant to demonise screen time. BUT, I do think there are some serious problems that come with too much screen time, and it’s important to understand those and learn how to combat them.

So, what actually happens when your kids get too much screen time?

Understanding Myopia

Watching smart devices for a prolonged period of time is actually harder on your child’s eyes than it is on yours because their eyes are still developing. That means your child is at a higher risk for eye disease than you are, especially myopia.

Myopia is essentially short-sightedness that’s caused by excessive elongation of the eye and it makes it difficult to focus on distant objects. Myopia usually develops during childhood, even as young as preschool. By the time you notice the effects of the disease, it’s too late.

Some other causes of myopia are genetics, spending too much time indoors or extended periods of time doing tasks like reading or writing – otherwise known as “near” tasks.

Do you know that spending just 34 minutes a day playing games or watching videos on your smart device could make your child eight times more likely to develop myopia?

Other Adverse Effects from Too Much Screen Time

Eye fatigue and strain can easily be associated with screens and result in headaches, double vision and trouble focusing. As adults, we notice these symptoms right away, it can be more difficult for our kids.

Eye inflammation and dryness are also big risks of screen time, especially if your child is on their device for more than two hours a day. Another common symptom of too much screen time can be excessive eye watering, so be sure to watch out for that.

Although protecting your child’s eyes is extremely important, it’s not the only thing that screen time effects. Studies show that screen time can have a negative impact on your child’s emotional and social health, academic performance, posture, and it can even cause them to develop internet addiction disorder, yikes!

What Can We Do?

Naturally, after reading all of those statistics, I panicked. What can be done to limit our children’s screen time? Because clearly, taking their screens away isn’t the answer. These days, schools are using e-books and other applications on tablets to facilitate learning. Our kids need to learn how to use the screen. Perhaps what we need to think about instead is, how do we manage “smarter” screen time?

I decided to download the plano^Ⓡ app.

And here’s why I chose the plano^Ⓡ app – it was developed through the Singapore Eye Research Institute – Singapore National Eye Centre’s (SERI-SENC) Ophthalmic Technologies Incubator Programme, and had support from the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC). Now that’s a mouthful, but it basically means it’s been well-researched and it’s based on science. That makes me a happy mama.

On top of the impressive credentials, the plano^Ⓡ app provides ‘live interventions’ to help correct unhealthy screen time. It could monitor how close the screen is to your child’s eyes and prompt them to use better posture. The app even detects early signs of myopia.

plano^Ⓡ is My Second Pair of Eyes

As much as I wish I could, I can’t look over my child’s shoulders all the time. With plano^Ⓡ app, I could set auto timers that prompt my kids to get off from their devices and even schedule no-device times. That means when it’s time for dinner or to go to the park, there are no excuses!

The app itself has fun memory matching and eye exercises that the kids absolutely love. Lauren begged me to download the app into her phone after testing it out on mine. Hahaha!

The best part is that my kids actually like having plano^Ⓡ switched on because they can earn coins which they can exchange for outdoor/fun activities. Children have a positive relationship with the app.

It’s also great for lazy parents like myself to actually get off our bums and venture out of the house. I get ideas for activities to do with my kids across all categories like enrichment & education, fun activities, outdoor adventure, and sports & games. Like my daughter, Lauren said, looking at faraway things every day is good for our eyes. It’s something she learned in her kindergarten.

As the parent, I can set all of my children’s screen time schedules, monitor progress, block certain sites and check on my kids’ device usage, they even send me an individualised report of my child’s progress. When Lauren is older, I can even set a location boundary with the app, so I would know that she is indeed where she says she is. I love the security and peace of mind the app gives me while it creates a healthier relationship with technology for my kids.

I can say that since downloading the app on all of our devices, we’ve really used them less. The best part is that wrestling devices away from my kids is a thing of the past. Because the app is prompting them to put the device down, I no longer have to be the bad guy. Big win!

Here’s How to Get the plano^Ⓡ App – It’s FREE!

I think this might be one of my favourite things about the plano^Ⓡ app, it’s free! There’s really no reason not to download the app. I guarantee that at the very least, you’ll gain a greater understanding of how much your kids are using screens.

I was shocked to see that my 4-year-old and 22 months old were on devices several hours longer than I thought they were. This allowed me to make some changes to our schedules and avoid some extra screen time.

The plano^Ⓡ app is available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play and I’d encourage you to give it a try. And hey, if you want to learn more about the science behind the app like I did, go ahead and check out this infographic.

My book is out. Get your copy here!