Excessive Screen Exposure Can Have Long-Term Impact on Children

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Paediatrician from the Indonesian Paediatric Association, Dr. Farid Agung Rahmadi, M.Si.Med., Sp.A, Subsp.TKPS(K), stated that excessive screen time in children can have an impact on their growth and development, as well as their health. During a media seminar held online in Jakarta on Tuesday, Farid said that excessive screen time in children has both short-term and long-term consequences. “In the short term, the impact on a child’s growth and development or health occurs within five years, while in the long term, it occurs after five years of screen time exposure,” said Farid, a member of the IDAI’s Working Unit for Coordination of Growth and Development and Social Paediatrics. “In fact, there can be persistent behavioural disorders that resemble autism, or what is known as ‘virtual autism’. So, it is essentially similar to autism,” he added. In the short term, excessive screen time can also trigger sleep disturbances. Farid explained that the habit of watching for long periods reduces rest time, and the artificial blue light emitted from electronic devices can disrupt melatonin levels, making it difficult for children to sleep. Children who are continuously exposed to excessive screen time in the long term may experience difficulty focusing, are more vulnerable to bullying, obesity, and can even affect their academic performance at school. Farid said that screen time is considered excessive in children not only because of the long duration, but also because of the lack of content selection and parental supervision. “Parents should not just sit beside their children, but should actively act as facilitators, bridging the gap between what is being viewed on electronic devices and the skills that can be practised in the real world by their children,” he said. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.