Children are spending one-third of their time after school on screens, according to a new study.
The findings come after researchers at the University of Otago Wellington, examined the after-school habits of 108 12 year olds in 2014 and 2015.
The data, collected by the Kids'Cam project, had participants wearing cameras that captured images every seven seconds.
The research, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, found that children were spending a third of that time on screens, including more than half their time after 8pm.
It showed that children were mostly playing games and watching programmes. For 10% of the time, the children were using more than one screen.
Senior researcher Dr Moira Smith, from the University of Otago Wellington's Department of Public Health, said the time being spent on screens was considerably more than the recommended two hours of screen time outside of school per day for school-aged children and adolescents.
Smith said screen time "is associated with obesity, poor mental well-being, poor sleep and mental functioning and lack of physical activity".
"It also affects children's ability to concentrate and regulate their behaviour and emotions."
Screen use is likely to have increased since the data was collected as it becomes more integrated into their everyday lives, she said.
"Screen use rose rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and children in 2023 are frequently spending time online, particularly on smartphones."
More than a third of the time after school was spent on screens, researchers from the University of Otago Wellington found. (Source: 1News)
According to the Children's Media Use Survey 2020, a third of children under 14 years old use social media.
The most popular social media platform was TikTok, which is rated R13, with a daily reach of 22%.
Smith said children are exposed to ads for harmful products, as well experiencing sexism, racism and bullying while online.
"Cyberbullying is particularly high among children in Aotearoa, with one in four parents reporting their child has been subjected to bullying while online," she said.
She said current legislation is outdated and fails to adequately regulate what children are being exposed to online.
"While screen use has many benefits, children need to be protected from harm in this largely unregulated space."
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