A balanced Digital Diet for under 5s: a commentary on Orben (2021)

Bidgood, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9719-4256, Taylor, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0988-7168, Kolak, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2689-7103, Bent, EM and Hickman, N 2022, 'A balanced Digital Diet for under 5s: a commentary on Orben (2021)' , Infant and Child Development .

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Abstract

Orben (2021) proposed a ‘Digital Diet’ approach to thinking about children's consumption of digital media. Here, we consider the Digital Diet with a focus on young children under 5. As well as discussing how Type and Amount apply to this age group, we argue that Balance needs to be considered differently for young children, and their families, compared to older children and adolescents. Considering the developmental needs of preschool children, we suggest that Balance must include not only a balance of activities within the digital world, but beyond it. The Digital Diet should be part of a wider healthy lifestyle, involving a range of activities and, crucially, social interaction. We also suggest an additional dietary factor: Timing of digital media use. Supporting children to form healthy Digital Diet habits early in life, may enable them to maintain a healthy digital lifestyle themselves as they continue to grow.

Item Type:	Article
Schools:	Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Health Sciences Research Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy
Journal or Publication Title:	Infant and Child Development
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1522-7227
Related URLs:	Publication
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Depositing User:	A Bidgood
Date Deposited:	09 Dec 2021 09:05
Last Modified:	17 Aug 2022 09:46
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/62508

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