Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that kids who spend more time looking at screens than sleeping are at an increased risk of health problems, including heart issues and weight gain.
In a world where phones, computers and televisions are treated as necessities, it can be hard to pull away, especially for kids. It's not impossible, though. It might just take a little bargaining.
Dr. Fred Archer is a professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine. He told WBEN Thursday a transactional approach might help get your kid away from the screen.
"I think with a lot of parents and kids it gets to almost like a negotiation. Like 'hey, you've done these things, you've now earned your reward, but it's gotta be within these parameters,'" Archer tells WBEN.
"A lot of times when it comes to starting a new habit you want to hook it on to an existing good habit," Archer explains. "You can do that same thing with the screen time."
Archer suggests a trade-off: if your child eats their veggies and spends a half hour outside then they can be "paid back" in an equivalent amount of screen time.
"You find ways where you can actually bring down that screen time while still actually doing some appropriate activities," Archer says.
As for how long your child should be in front of a device, Archer says the recommendation is no more than an hour of non-educational electronic activity. That number goes up to around two hours for older kids.