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Toddler tablet use linked to behavioural problems – study

Researchers said that increased screen time has ‘multiple risks’ for child wellbeing.

LETTING TODDLERS PLAY frequently on tablets, phones and game consoles could be putting them at a higher risk of emotional and behavioural problems when they start school, a new study suggests.

Pre-schoolers who extensively use electronic media are more likely to have hyperactivity issues, a short attention span, poor concentration and peer relationship issues when they turn five compared to their peers, academics found.

Researchers, from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, said that increased screen time has “multiple risks” for child wellbeing.

A new study, published in the journal BMJ Open, examined data on around 700 Finnish children.

Parents reported how much time their child spent using electronic media at 18 months and five years of age.

They found that 95% of pre-school children spent more than an hour on a screen every day.

The World Health Organisation says that screen time is not recommended for children under two.

Those aged two to four should not engage in more than an hour of screen time each day, and “less is better”, the guidance states.

The Finnish study found that the average screen time of a five-year-old was 114 minutes a day.

And for 18-month-olds it was an average of 32 minutes.

The authors found that high levels of screen among five-year-olds was linked to a risk of “multiple psychosocial problems”, including attention and concentration difficulties, hyperactivity and impulsivity, emotional internalising and externalising symptoms, and conduct problems.

But when they delved into the information further they found that lots of TV time at five years had an increased risk of several psychosocial problems.

But they said that playing video games had fewer associations but it was linked to hyperactivity.

Meanwhile, they found that 18-month-olds who had higher than recommended screen time were more likely to have “peer problems” later on.

But they said that they did not find a high usage level of electronic devices at 18 months of age to be associated with other problems in psychosocial well-being later on.

The authors conclude: “As our results point out, increased screen time has multiple risks for children’s psychosocial well-being.

“These risk factors might accumulate in the long term and cause problems in children’s socio-emotional development later on.

“One possible mechanism accounting for the result might be that the time children spend on e-media reduces the time spent on constructive activities such as interactions with family members, reading and playing.”

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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Feb 28th 2023, 8:35 AM

    They only key issue is that the DUP messed up when they were deal breakers under Theresa May. The DUP blundered big time, hopefully Sunak will sign the deal and leave you as the minority party you are.

    756
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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Feb 28th 2023, 10:22 AM

    @Mick McGuinness: The dinosaurs in the DUP, Paisley, Dodds and Sammy Wilson in Westminster will say NO and there is nothing the DUP Party who are living and working in NI can do about it.
    Dinosaurs are pulling the strings.

    359
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    Mute Sean Salmon
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    Feb 28th 2023, 1:18 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: the DUP thrives on poverty driven hate division sectarianism and protestant supremecy. There is nothing in the deal for them politically and they will find reasons not to support it.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Feb 28th 2023, 11:22 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: I agree with what you say, BUT , the Big Deal her is ,— They are going to have to go into Government under a FENIAN ,– that they will try to avoid at All costs . So my guess is that they will find a flimsy excuse to delay and up scuttle the Applecart . .

    61
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    Mute Stanley Marsh
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    Feb 28th 2023, 9:54 AM

    You get the impression that the DUP would literally ‘burn the house down around themselves’ rather than entertain anything that risks NI’s position in relation to the Crown.

    That is far more important to them than healthcare, education and the general wellbeing of the people of NI.

    The irony of course is that the Crown, the UK goverment and the UK in general would prefer if NI would float off somewhere else and stop bothering them.

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    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    Feb 28th 2023, 2:18 PM

    @Stanley Marsh: it’s a pity it wouldn’t just float off….full stop.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Feb 28th 2023, 4:55 PM

    @Paul Shepherd: That’s what successive Irish and British governments thought since the foundation of this state. When it came back to bite them the same governments wondered how this could have happened. Suppose the fact of having a Republican first minister elected by the majority is the real sticking point to the DUP.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Feb 28th 2023, 8:49 AM

    Donaldson won’t like this because he and and won’t be able to apply the so called ’Stormont Brake’ by themselves- they will need consensus from other parties. Jeffrey won’t be able to just throw all the toys out of the pram every time he gets a little wobbler

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    Mute Ian O'Donovan
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    Feb 28th 2023, 12:11 PM

    @Dave Harris: delicious irony in that, lol

    155
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    Mute Kevin Fitz
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    Feb 28th 2023, 8:45 AM

    There hasn’t been this much buzz and frenzy around the DUP since the witch burnings of the 1600s.

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    Mute James Lough
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    Mar 1st 2023, 7:58 AM

    @Kevin Fitz: Sunak asked to give DUP more time, another 800 years should do

    49
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    Mute John Harkin
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    Feb 28th 2023, 11:29 AM

    Go to DUP Facebook page and check out the comments under their posts about this. You will get the basic understanding of how a DUP person thinks. Ejit of the highest order.

    259
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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Feb 28th 2023, 3:57 PM

    Northern Ireland will be an ‘economic powerhouse’ with access to both markets? Ummmm like being in the EU then?
    Rishi Sunak ought to listen to himself

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    Mute Séan Ó Nuanáin
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    Feb 28th 2023, 8:27 AM

    Anymore more and itll be a case of just give the DUP what they want

    176
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    Mute Richard Starling
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    Feb 28th 2023, 9:53 AM

    Good old Jeffrey, head up rear end again

    195
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    Mute zephyrum
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    Feb 28th 2023, 10:12 PM

    @Richard Starling:

    In fairness, Jeffrey would take a seat in the Lords tomorrow if offered and dump the turd that is NI politics.

    34
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    Mute Steve
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    Feb 28th 2023, 4:34 PM

    So NI pretty much has the same access to both markets that the UK had prior to Brexit.

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    Mute Ronan Lawler
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    Feb 28th 2023, 8:39 AM

    Duck Donaldson

    116
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    Mute Patrick Monaghan
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    Feb 28th 2023, 9:44 AM

    Good luck with that. No cash for ash deal there

    110
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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Feb 28th 2023, 11:37 AM

    Would it be possible to shrink Northern Ireland into one county and to give it to the dup forever and let’s get nexrit done

    115
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    Mute Roger Bond
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    Feb 28th 2023, 12:57 PM

    @FlopFlipU: Yes, it could end up like Gibraltar.

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    Mute Daniel Roche
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    Feb 28th 2023, 5:58 PM

    @FlopFlipU: No.

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    Mute M Bowe
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    Mar 1st 2023, 10:08 AM

    @FlopFlipU: so another sectarian head count gerrymandered entity. Yeah that really worked over past 100 years of 6 county gerrymandered state.

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    Mute Damien Mac Aodha
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    Feb 28th 2023, 2:11 PM

    Lady Bird version in block capitals and mostly pictures for DUP please.

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    Mute Bri Lyons
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    Feb 28th 2023, 4:22 PM

    NI had access to UK and EU markets before Brexit .. it now has access but with some extra paperwork

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    Mute Seamus Quaide
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    Feb 28th 2023, 2:40 PM

    It would be a lot more ‘exciting’ if the U.K didn’t inflict Brexshit on the world in the first place

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    Mute Tom Kelly
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    Feb 28th 2023, 5:30 PM

    And yet the Dup have put the Union before the people.

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Feb 28th 2023, 11:53 PM

    I really hope the DUP stay true to form and vote no to this deal. It would force Westminsters hand and put them at complete odds with the DUP. Calling it “the Windsor” agreement was genius!!!

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    Mute alan
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    Feb 28th 2023, 4:17 PM

    Blunder of the highest order. You’d have to wonder what genius thought this was a good way to phrase it this way.

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Feb 28th 2023, 7:28 PM

    Britain being able to make their own environmental laws hasn’t worked out well for them, not sure I would be mentioning that, either.

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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Feb 28th 2023, 1:22 PM

    The ‘Stormont Brake’ will be the rock upon which this punt will founder!

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