Nov 28, 2016 12:12 PM EST By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

It's quite a challenge to keep children away from smart devices nowadays but this trend is becoming more and more alarming. According to a report published last week by Ofcom, children in Britain aged 5 and below are already glued to the screens of their televisions, tablets and smart phones for 5 long hours in a day.

"The findings are very, very worrying," said Sue Palmer, a literacy adviser and author of Toxic Childhood. "There are so many other things that kids of that age should be doing. We have to make a real effort to get children outdoors.

"The main problem is that screen time is substituting for vital developmental necessities like all-round physical motor skills and social and communication skills. We really need national guidelines on technology use for children."

According to the American Society of Pediatrics, longer exposure of kids to screens can be associated with lifetime obesity, sleeping disorders and developmental problems. But this is also influenced by how much time parents also spend watching televisions.

More and more research suggest how this habit can have a devastating effect on the health of a child, both physical and mental.

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, shared how he was shocked and surprised by the research. "What it is indicative of is a growing addiction to digital technology, which is having a negative physiological effect on the brain," he added.

"The majority of schools encourage children to use digital devices as part of learning, but they are feeding the addiction and the addiction is then going home."

Currently, the health organizations and bodies in the US recommend that children who are below 2 years should be allowed no access to screens and those under 5 should be given just an hour and maximum of 2 hours for those below 18. These guidelines are not implemented in the UK so the decision and action now rely on the hands of the parents to take these matters under control.

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