Time in front of the computer for a 10 year old child. How much time a day can you sit at a computer, the impact of a computer on the health of children and adults

Useful tips

Hello, dear readers. Today we will look at the influence of the computer on children. In the modern world, these technologies are found at every step; a computer can be found in almost every apartment. The age of the young user is getting younger every year. How safe is this for a child’s body and how much time is it generally acceptable for a child to spend in front of a monitor screen? This is what we will talk about in this article.

Advantages and disadvantages

We can talk about the positive aspects of using computer technology if all the rules are followed, the child is in front of the screen in accordance with age characteristics, sits for a limited amount of time, watches educational programs, and plays educational games. In this case, the following advantages will be observed:

development of logic;
memory training;
awareness of cause and effect relationships;
attentiveness;
general development of intelligence.

We should not forget about a number of negative factors that affect the body of a child sitting at a computer.

Valid time

To reduce the negative impact of the computer, it is necessary for the child to be in front of it as much as is acceptable for his age.

If you are interested in the question of how long a child can sit at the computer, then you need to take into account his age.

So, children under three years old are not recommended to approach the monitor screen at all.
Children from three to four years old - no more than 20 minutes.
From five to six years - 25 minutes.
Children from six to eight years old are allowed to sit at the computer for up to 30 minutes.
Children from nine to eleven years old are recommended to sit for no longer than an hour.
Children from twelve to sixteen years old - no more than two hours.

My son is 12 years old. He spends no more than half an hour a day in front of the computer. This is a necessary measure due to vision problems. Every time I get very upset that it’s time to get up. Sometimes he doesn’t have time to save, then a whole tragedy begins, he asks you to play for another five minutes so that all your progress isn’t lost. I agree, this is really important to him. He honestly gets to the place where he saves, and if he doesn’t make it in time, he realizes that it’s still a long time, then he leaves everything as it is.

Computer addiction

Recently, more and more children are losing their minds because of computer technology. Our childhood was richer, we spent almost all our time outside, playing and having fun.

Modern children are completely chained to monitor screens, especially if this time is not controlled by their parents. All life comes down to the virtual world and the same communication.

Some children develop serious addictions. Therefore, it is necessary to know for what reasons this can happen and how to deal with it.

Signs that your baby is already addicted include:

a strong desire to quickly appear in front of the screen;
sitting in front of the monitor, the baby completely forgets about the desire to eat;
if he is deprived of the opportunity to sit at the computer, he begins to get bored and does not know what to do;
the child becomes very aggressive when they try to tear him away from the screen;
the baby uses all sorts of tricks to maximize his time spent in front of the monitor;
the child experiences attacks of anger, severe irritability and indifference to the people around him;
The baby almost completely loses interest in communicating with friends and family.

Reasons that may lead to this condition include:

lack of attention from loved ones;
unexpected divorce of parents;
serious problems at school;
special pressure and low expectations from parents.

How to get out of the situation:

give your child as much attention as possible, take him to the theater, cinema, shopping center;
if this happened and you divorced your significant other, do everything to ensure that this does not affect the baby in any way, and he does not particularly feel the absence of the second parent;
if there are problems at school, try to figure out what exactly is causing the bullying of classmates or the hostility of the teacher, solve these problems;
do not impose your opinion on the child, do not try to live instead of him, give him the opportunity to make his own mistakes and realize his desires, not your needs.

Precautionary measures

Do not allow your child to eat while sitting at the computer

Block access to sites that have harmful content for children's psyches.
Track your baby's browsing history.
Explain that you cannot agree to any offers to make certain purchases on the Internet.
Tell your child about the need for periodic distraction from the monitor screen. Let him look into the distance for 20 seconds, and only then return his gaze.
Explain to your child why it is necessary to observe a certain time spent in front of the computer, make it clear that this is not your whim, but concern for his health.
Do not allow eating in front of a computer screen.
Periodically check the integrity of all wires and sockets to which the equipment is connected.

For younger children, you can use an alternative - a tablet.

Before inviting your child to watch an educational video or participate in a developmental program, check its quality yourself and make sure that it is suitable for your child.
Stay nearby while your baby is sitting at the computer, and unobtrusively monitor his actions.
It is better for a child aged three to buy a children's laptop than to use an adult computer. This toy has educational programs that will speed up the development of the toddler. In addition, such laptops look very realistic. This will be enough for a baby at that age.
Buy a tablet. You can also install development programs on it.
Follow a daily routine. Let spending time at the computer also fit into your daily routine. It is advisable for the baby to be in front of the monitor screen every day at the same time for the same duration.
It is recommended to carry out wet cleaning daily in the room where the computer is located, and perform regular ventilation.
Make sure that no light falls on the monitor screen and does not create glare.
Make sure that the computer desk and chair are appropriate for the child's height.
Place a small aquarium next to your monitor. It will not only affect the preservation of the level of humidity in the room, but will also help to transfer the child’s attention from the screen to the fish, thereby giving the eyes a chance to rest.
The distance from the baby’s eyes to the monitor should be at least 55 cm, with an angle of 25 degrees so that the gaze falls from top to bottom.
To reduce eye strain, it is recommended to perform special gymnastics. For this purpose, they suggest blinking frequently, looking at the tip of the nose, then moving your gaze into the distance, closing your eyes for a while so that they rest, and making circular movements.

Now you know the answer to the question of how long children should sit at the computer. Each parent has the right to decide for himself when the time comes for his child to become acquainted with such technology; however, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the child’s body and the possible harm caused by the computer. Take care of the health of your children, do not allow their vision and posture to deteriorate from prolonged sitting in front of the monitor.

Seriously? 10-12 years - 20 minutes? My awful story...

I’m 12, I was allowed to use a computer for the first time at the age of seven, it was a netbook, my older brother surprised me with the capabilities of the search engine... I learned to use a computer on my own at 9-10, I sat for half an hour maximum. Of course, the first thing I did was play light toys, like Minesweeper, Klondike, and checkers. I read a lot and still read, so my mother did not allow me to strain my eyes too much with text. Now I sit for 2 hours a day on weekdays, as I am an excellent student at school and go to an aircraft modeling class. During the holidays, my mother allows me to sit for three hours a day. If you think that at this time I am doing: #Useless NonsenseYourCamputerTeachesYourVisionNothingYoullPrisonScaliosEarnGamesCruelMustBan !

That's not true. I watch movies, chat with friends... And about the violence in games - NO ONE IS FORCING YOUR CHILD TO PLAY VIOLENT GAMES. Let’s take, for example, “Counter”, “ks”, “Counter-Strike”, well, you understand what we’re talking about. In the early stages of the game, it is possible to cut out blood, especially since there is a training mode - shooting at targets is an excellent way to develop the child’s reactions and other senses. He will not become aggressive from target shooting. Although I have become attached to the shooter genre, because there are others - racing, arcades, adventure games... Your eyesight does not deteriorate on the computer, if you don’t overstrain your eyes, it will also deteriorate from watching TV, reading a book, etc.

Also, some parents think that radiation comes from the computer, attention. Dear Parents! Unless your computer is from Chernobyl or Fukushima, and was not Emmy Noether's personal item, then it emits nothing but light in the dark. In addition, I will provide several links, since I’m too lazy to write everything down.

1.2.3. It is much more difficult for vision when a child (user) is forced to read text from the screen. Therefore, the Internet is quite a dangerous thing, because here you have to read a lot, and read quickly.

1.2.4. And finally, the real eye killers are games. A moving image, small elements - all this leads to such overwork, which is removed very slowly.

The second most harmful factor affecting health when working with a computer is a cramped posture. When sitting at a computer, a child (or adult) must look at the screen from a certain distance and at the same time keep his hands on the keyboard or controls. This forces his body to take a certain position and not change it until the end of the work. In this regard, a computer is much more dangerous than a TV, which allows you to move freely. The following disorders occur due to a cramped posture:

2.1.Difficulty breathing. This is the most insidious of all enemies. The elbows brought forward do not allow the chest to move freely, and this leads to asthma, the development of coughing attacks and other manifestations.

I took this from one third-party site, for those who have read everything written above, I will continue: about elbows - this is really ONLY if the child is using a netbook or laptop. Attached to the material was this... Picture. It shows the worst example of sitting in front of a computer. My laptop lies on a special desk, I have a mouse and a separate keyboard, which I placed on a pull-out shelf along with the mouse - the shelf slides out and I can safely sit at a distance of about a meter from the computer. I'm finishing, it's time to leave, I hope you understood everything I wanted to say, good luck)

If you are interested in how long children can sit at the computer, this already indicates that you are a conscious parent and understand that children need to be supervised.

Modern technologies: good or evil?

It is difficult to overestimate the role played by the computer and its derivative gadgets in the last 10-15 years of our lives. Today, without exaggeration, this greatest invention of mankind has penetrated almost all spheres of human activity. At work, at home, and with the invention of smartphones, even on vacation, we actively use these high-tech devices, considering them the benefits of modern civilization.

There are many opinions about how much time a child can spend at the computer - from minute dosing to almost unlimited time.

The negative impact of a long stay at the computer is represented by two aspects - medical and psychological. In order to avoid harm to the child’s health in the form of decreased visual acuity, impaired posture, physical inactivity, as well as for the purpose of his psychological well-being, there was a need to establish conditional restrictive measures - norms for the time that is safe to be at the computer.

After studying the medical literature and analyzing information from various sources, we determined:

The norms for the amount of time a child can spend at the computer are only advisory in nature (the maximum permissible norms are much higher).
Different studies provide different so-called recommended time limits.
In more recent studies, these time standards are much higher.

Computer - PC - laptop - tablet - smartphone - ...

Most of the time standards recommended for children were developed and published in the medical literature at the dawn of the computer era, when a personal computer (PC) was called an electronic computer (computer). These standards are typical for computers of the late 80s last century:

5 years no more than 7 minutes a day

6 years 10 minutes a day

7-9 years 15 minutes a day

10-12 years 20 minutes a day

13-14 years old 25 minutes a day

15-16 years old 30 minutes a day

Each new generation of PC is more advanced than the previous one and increases the degree of protection against electromagnetic radiation, as well as the negative impact of the monitor screen on the visual organs.

Standards of time that can be spent sitting at a PC from the late 90s 20th century, the following:

5 years 15-20 minutes a day

6 years 25-30 minutes a day

7-9 years 1 hour per day

10-12 years 1 hour 20 minutes per day

13-14 years old 1 hour 40 minutes per day

15-16 years old 2 hours a day

Goodbye TV!

It should be taken into account that, in addition to the above standards for PCs, recommended time limits for watching TV:

3-7 years up to 30 minutes a day

8-10 years 30-50 minutes a day

11-18 years old 1-3 hours a day

Modern computers are gradually replacing televisions in everyday life, taking over the functions of the latter. Nowadays, a PC for a child means the Internet (where children are most interested in online games), educational programs, and watching cartoons, movies, and videos. Therefore, the time that the child previously spent in front of the TV screen, today he sits in front of a PC (laptop) monitor.

Thus, taking into account the trends of the era of global computerization, relevant for the second decade of the 21st century, standards for the time that children can sit at the computer, the following:

5 years 1 hour a day

6 years 1 hour 15 minutes per day

7-9 years 1.5 hours a day

10-12 years old 2 hours a day

13-14 years old 2.5 hours a day

15-16 years old 3 hours a day

One cannot ignore the fact that many studies proving the harmlessness of prolonged use of PCs and other high-tech devices are sponsored by their manufacturers. Can the results obtained be considered objective? I think not. Obviously, it is possible to draw reasonable conclusions only on the basis of long-term independent experiments. Such research should be funded at the state level, but today funds are not allocated for this or are allocated in insufficient quantities.

What do doctors and psychologists say?

Psychologists often talk about the limitations of children using the computer. In their opinion, cartoons and computer games in excessive amounts can not only suppress interest in contacts with other children, but also lead to a slowdown in the child’s development at a certain stage and the formation of gaming addiction. So don't use your computer as a babysitter. Make sure that the time spent at the computer benefits the child and contributes to his development.

Allow you to play only those computer games that are educational and developmental in nature: they stimulate thought processes and attention.

No matter what opponents of technological innovation say, the computer is undoubtedly the most convenient source of obtaining information, learning and self-development. After all, the easiest way to present information in a form that is attractive to a child is to use a PC. Electronic lessons arouse keen interest in children; they master various developmental and educational programs with great pleasure.

Try to explain to your child how computer software works. Perhaps this will interest him and will be an incentive to understand the technical part of the PC more deeply. And then he will not just spend time playing games, but will reinstall, change, improve something. All this can be very useful to him in the future.

It must be borne in mind that the time a child spends at the computer requires a lot of visual strain, much more than reading books. Therefore, it is very important to properly organize your workspace at your desk.
The central part of the monitor should be at eye level or slightly lower, and the distance from the eyes to the monitor should be at least 50-70 cm. It is not recommended to sit at the computer in the dark in the evening. To avoid sudden changes in lighting and unnecessary strain on the child’s eyes, you should turn on the desk lamp. Periodically it is necessary to take pauses, during which you perform gymnastics for the eyes. Failure to comply with the above conditions may cause deterioration of vision and the appearance of dry eye syndrome.

To avoid problems with posture, it is necessary to monitor the position in which the child sits in front of the monitor. The back should be straight, the chair or chair should have a back and armrests, and the legs should rest on the floor. Staying at the computer for a long time in the wrong position can cause poor posture (scoliosis) and physical inactivity.

To potentially increase your children's screen time, invest in a modern LCD monitor or a quality laptop. Correctly configure the monitor settings: adjust the brightness and contrast so that your eyes are comfortable, and set a calm picture on your “desktop”, without sudden changes. The screen refresh rate should be maximum, 100 Hz or more, if the equipment allows.

Parental control programs

Some parents consider it necessary to monitor their child’s Internet activity by installing special parental control programs on the computer. Others do not see any reason for this, believing that the child will still learn the information he is interested in in the process of communicating with peers.

Of course, there is some point in installing parental control programs. In particular, sites with “inappropriate” content are blocked (for example, sites containing the letters por*(n) or se*(x) in their names will not open). In addition, you can easily manage the time spent on your PC by using the automatic shutdown function at a set interval with the possibility of a warning notification about this. It is possible, at your discretion, to restrict access to games or some applications.

But keep in mind that no software is perfect, so even the best parental control program will not guarantee complete security. Moreover, a student can be smart and search for “How to remove parental controls on a PC,” and then follow the instructions to bypass the ban. Don't forget also about smartphones and tablets, which are much more difficult to control.

Therefore, it will be much more effective if the computer is on public display. If the PC is in the child’s room, you can periodically go to it, looking at what is happening on the monitor. But the latter option is undesirable, since, you see, openly spying is not very good. In any case, a teenager will not go to inappropriate sites, knowing that his actions will not go unnoticed.

Internet addiction

Schoolchildren use the Internet as a source of information and entertainment. Explain to your son or daughter that not everything found or read on the Internet is true. It is not always possible to determine the owners of sites, sources and reasons for posting information on them. Therefore, teach your child to think critically about the content of websites. Also warn him about the possible dangers of communicating with unknown people on social networks and forums.

“Internet-Internet, let me go to the toilet!” This popular online saying has recently become a joke. More and more people (including children) prefer to spend their lives in the virtual space.

But if adults themselves are responsible for their actions, then their parents should control their children’s time. Make sure your teenager does not sit at the computer at night. It is advisable that you do not show him such an example. Explain what biorhythms are and that each organ works most actively at certain times. The night is given to us for sleep and recuperation - this is how nature intends it.

Sometimes a teenager spending a long time on a PC is a consequence. Try to explain to your child, without pressure and irritation, in a friendly and intelligible manner, why it is harmful to spend too much time in front of the monitor. Agree with him that you can sit down at the computer only if you complete your homework on time.

The task of every parent is to ensure proper operation of the computer so that the child views it not just as entertainment, but as a means of learning and development. And then the PC will become the best teacher and faithful assistant, and the child will grow up to be a successful and self-confident person.

It’s hard to imagine modern life without a computer. From an early age, our children learn, play and develop together with the computer. If you haven't bought your child a computer yet, then that day is just around the corner.

The biggest problem with the computer, as well as its advantage, is its endless fascination. And it is important to follow basic rules so as not to spoil your eyesight or bend your spine.

1. When can a child buy a computer?

A child can buy a computer as early as 7-8 years old. It is at this time that children are actively comprehending the world, and here the computer can help in the development of certain skills. Psychologists, for example, note that working on a computer develops the skill of concentrating. In educational games you need to quickly make decisions and immediately evaluate them, and a quick change of actions teaches you not only to focus on one thing, but also to switch very quickly from one action to another. True, as usual, there is only one step from benefit to harm: moderate time spent at the computer improves concentration, and excessive time - worsens it. Therefore, it is very important how much time a child spends at the computer.

2. How long can you allow your child to sit at the computer.

In this matter, you must be persistent and unyielding, as with the dosage of medications. The time for studying at the computer should be determined by you immediately. A child under 6 years old should not spend more than 10-15 minutes at the computer - and not every day. For children aged 7-8 years, the limit is 30-40 minutes per day. 9-11 year olds should be allowed to sit at the computer for no more than an hour and a half.

3. How to properly arrange a computer place.

It is important that the monitor is not exposed to direct sunlight or glare from the lamp. It is better to place it in a corner or so that the back surface rests against the wall. But do not forget that the computer area should be well lit. Doctors recommend daily wet cleaning of the computer room, so try not to cover the entire floor in the nursery with a rug or carpet. It is also useful to have an aquarium in the room (much more useful than the “mythical” cactus near the monitor). And don’t forget to ventilate the little computer geek’s room more often.

4. How to sit at the computer correctly.

Do not forget that a child, not an adult, will be sitting at the computer, so the dimensions of the computer desk and chair must correspond to his height. A growing transformable desk and a growing ergonomic chair are best suited for this. Such furniture is adjusted to the child’s growth and allows you to create conditions for the correct fit and correct development of the child’s posture. Most models are equipped with rear monitor attachments. By placing a monitor on such a shelf, you will save your child’s vision, because it allows you to maintain the distance recommended by doctors from the monitor (50-60 cm from the child’s eyes). It is also recommended to position the monitor at an angle of 20-30 degrees relative to the center of the display, i.e. the view should fall slightly from top to bottom.

5. How to protect your child’s precious eyes.

The heaviest strain falls on the eyes of those sitting at the computer. Therefore, it is very important to protect your child from excessive eye fatigue. In addition to performing special gymnastics, make sure that, when looking at the monitor, children’s eyes do not suffer from the too bright colors of the screen image. “Make some magic” yourself or ask directly when buying a computer to decorate the “desktop” of your monitor with a picture of calm (preferably green) tones. And also, don’t be too lazy to “play” with the monitor settings: adjust the brightness and contrast so that you personally feel as comfortable as possible. If you do not have an LCD monitor, then you MUST ensure that the screen refresh rate is maximum (at least 85, and ideally 100 or more hertz).

It is necessary to monitor a child’s posture from early childhood. And it is very important to watch exactly how he sits at the table. Here are recommendations on how to adjust the height of the table and chair.

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Every caring parent in the modern world is worried about the question: “When should I introduce my child to the computer and how much time can the child spend in front of the monitor without endangering his health?”

A child at the computer: the main dangers

Excessive sitting in front of a computer monitor poses several dangers for a child. The first concerns eye health: if a child spends too much time at the computer, this can lead to deterioration in visual acuity, impaired accommodation, and dry eye syndrome. The second threat consists of disorders of posture and functioning of the musculoskeletal system. The third threat is associated with physical inactivity, which affects children who spend too much time in front of the monitor. Low mobility combined with poor diet increases the risk of obesity.

But the most terrible threat associated with computers is the risk of developing computer addiction. Such dependence is already a mental disorder and is expressed in loss of interest in the world around us, impaired social adaptation, infantility, and emotional immaturity. An attempt to wean yourself from the computer causes attacks of aggression in addicted children and adolescents. Boys are at greater risk of becoming addicted than girls, and the most dangerous computer activity in terms of addiction is role-playing games. Pay attention to what online games your child is interested in.

How long can a child sit at a computer?

You can decide how long your child will be allowed to sit at the computer based on the Ministry of Health standards developed for children and adolescents. According to these standards, children under 3 years old have nothing to do on the computer; they must explore the real, not the virtual world. At 3-5 years old, communication with a computer is allowed twice a week for 10-15 minutes. Elementary school students can spend 15 minutes a day in front of the monitor, teenagers 11-13 years old - 20 minutes a day. Students in the eighth and ninth grades can spend half an hour at the computer every day, but for high school students it is advisable to limit themselves to two hours a day, with breaks every half hour.

But the most important thing that parents should remember is that while limiting their children’s time sitting at the computer, they themselves should not “hang out” at the monitor for hours playing games or spending time on social networks. After all, children believe not what we tell them, but what they see.