Limiting a child's screen time during the summer break

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Summer interruption has started for students successful Central California.

This means immoderate volition person a batch much escaped clip than usual, and crook to scrolling connected their phones.

"The usage of societal media is dramatically increasing," said Dr. Mitul Patel. "In fact, there's much than 50% of teenagers who usage societal media."

Dr. Patel, with Kaiser Permanente Fresno, said surface clip isn't atrocious -- arsenic agelong arsenic it's successful moderation.

He added that excessively overmuch clip spent connected the telephone oregon scrolling connected societal media tin pb to anxiety, accent and debased self-esteem.

Dr. Patel recommends children get 2 to 3 hours of surface clip per day.

"Some radical mightiness deliberation that's excessively little, excessively much. But remember, a wide movie is astir an hr and a fractional to 2 hours long, helium said. "So speech from that, different other hr of surface clip should beryllium plentifulness for a kid."

In the Central Valley, it tin beryllium hard to get kids extracurricular successful the summertime heat.

However, Patel shared activities that don't impact a phone.

"There's thing incorrect with picking up a publication and speechmaking from it, going extracurricular aboriginal successful the greeting and playing immoderate basketball, going for a walk, taking the canine for a walk," helium shared. "It's besides important to commencement giving kids immoderate chores, particularly age-acceptable chores, right?"

According to Dr. Patel, these suggestions aren't conscionable for kids due to the fact that parents should besides beryllium mindful of their surface time.

"We request to exemplary bully behavior, and it's truly important for america to acceptable the telephone speech and beryllium engaged with our families, loved ones and kids," helium said.

If parents are acrophobic with their child's telephone use, Dr. Patel said it's a bully thought to speech astir it with their pediatrician.

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