Opinion article by Ana Rita Constante

Children exposed to screens play less and spend more time sitting or standing still (sometimes starting sedentary habits before they even begin to walk). They have reduced concentration and difficulty controlling their impulses. Children may even lose the ability to "stay bored" – and, incredibly, without boredom, there is no creativity.

My generation grew up with Sesame Street on weekends and the Ducklings' song before bed. However, in the last 25 years, screens have evolved in ways that were unimaginable back then. Today we have non-stop streaming platforms where we choose what we watch and when, and screens, once fixed to a piece of furniture in the living room, have become small, portable, and touch-sensitive, accompanying us 24/7.

While it's true that screens existed when we were children – for today's children, the reality is 100% different . And if 5 or 10 years ago we could say that we didn't know if there were consequences to that exposure, that's no longer the case.

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You can read the full article at Visão.