Screen time not harmful for academic skills of preschoolers

Despite the fears of parents, screen time doesn’t appear to have overwhelmingly negative impacts on preschoolers’ development, new research suggests. The study of kids from low-income and minority homes found that the quantity of time in front of the TV, smartphones and tablets was not related to children’s gains in language, literacy and math skills.

Keeping an Eye on Your Child’s Vision: Ten Things to Know

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles answers 10 FAQs to help you safeguard your kid’s eyesight, and to know when it’s time to get it checked. From allergies to nearsightedness, to the daily staring at digital screens, the hazards facing kids’ eyes give parents a lot to worry about. Angeline Nguyen, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist in The Vision Center at CHLA, breaks down the concerns you may have about your child’s vision, including the reason behind increased nearsightedness in kids, whether too much screen time can harm their eyes, and whether your child can outgrow the need for glasses.

Decreases in Exercise Closely Linked with Higher Rates of Depression during the Pandemic

Exercise has long-been recommended as a cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients of depression, yet new evidence from the University of California of San Diego suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of the relationship between physical activity and mental health.

Screen time can change visual perception — and that’s not necessarily bad

The coronavirus pandemic has shifted many of our interactions online, with Zoom video calls
replacing in-person classes, work meetings, conferences and other events. Will all that screen time damage our vision? Maybe not. It turns out that our visual perception is highly adaptable, according to research from Psychology Professor and Cognitive and Brain Sciences Coordinator Peter Gerhardstein’s
lab at Binghamton University.

COVID-19 and Connectedness: Finding a Balance in Our Online Lives

As uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine wears on, there remains one constant: a reliance on the internet, social media, and streaming services for work, school, entertainment, and keeping in touch with friends and family. But is the increased screen time — and the resulting onslaught of emails, memes, and media consumption that come with the removed barrier between work and home — taking a toll on our mental health? For answers, we turned to Simon Gottschalk, a UNLV sociology professor and author of “The Terminal Self: Everyday Life in Hypermodern Times,” which examines the social and psychological toll of our increasingly online lives on work, education, family life, interactions, our sense of self, and more.

Ergonomics 101: Working from Home During Coronavirus

Marshmallow-soft couch cushions and a cutesy vintage chair here. Dim lighting and blackout curtains there. Ah, there’s nothing like the comforts of home. Except during a pandemic. Across the nation, new work-from-home and distance learning routines amid the COVID-19 outbreak have many people — and their strained necks, backs, and eyes — wishing they could trade those home comforts for the comforts of the office.