Children under two should have zero screen time, says Indonesian Paediatric Society

The Indonesian Paediatric Society (IDAI) has urged parents to implement zero screen time for children under two years old to prevent developmental disorders. IDAI Chairperson Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso said that gadget exposure from an early age can increase the risk of various developmental problems in children. ‘We urge that children under two years should have zero screen time,’ Piprim said at the 72nd IDAI anniversary event at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta on Sunday. According to him, excessive gadget use is not only linked to reduced physical activity in children but can also affect the development of communication skills and social interaction. ‘In addition to metabolic diseases, there are also developmental disorders such as speech delay and virtual autism,’ he said. Piprim noted that some parents still rely on gadgets to calm their children while they go about their own activities, making the use of electronic devices increasingly difficult to control. ‘Parents are often happy when their child sits quietly looking at a gadget so they can enjoy their own social media, yet that can cause serious developmental disorders,’ he said. Apart from developmental issues, IDAI also highlighted the rising number of new lifestyle disease cases in children, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus appearing at increasingly younger ages. According to Piprim, these conditions are linked to unhealthy eating patterns and lack of physical activity due to the growing amount of time children spend in front of screens. He therefore urged parents to limit gadget use according to the child’s age and to encourage children to be more physically active and interact with their surroundings to support optimal growth and development.