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Health Check: Kids’ Screen Time: What Are the Risks?

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2018/01/17 GMT

Kids’ Screen Time: What Are the Risks?

BBC World Service - Health Check, Kids’ Screen Time: What Are the Risks?

Does screen time damage children’s health?

Does screen time damage children’s health? Also, a virtual reality bucket list, and are antibiotic-resistant bugs more common in surfers?

Many parents know it is hard to separate children from technology – whether they are watching box sets on tablets, playing video games or messaging friends on smartphones. Scary headlines warn parents of the risks – but how much evidence is there that new technology causes harm? Surprisingly little – according to researchers who have been meeting in London this week. So what should parents do? 

Do you have a bucket list of things you want to do before you die – like seeing the Pyramids or the Northern Lights?  People living with a terminal illness might find travelling too difficult – even if they can afford such trips. 
So now a hospice in the UK is trialling virtual reality to help people tick off some of their bucket list wishes.  As well as helping them to achieve their dreams, it’s hoped that it may also ease symptoms experienced by palliative care patients - like pain and fatigue. 

If you like surfing or swimming in the sea you will want to know how clean the water is. Researchers in the UK have made a troubling discovery – that some surfers had ingested E.coli bacteria – and even worse, they were the kind that are resistant to a common antibiotic.

(Photo: Boy using digital tablet in a dark bedroom. Credit: Getty Images)

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