The use of devices like tablets and laptops in schools has been a hot topic in recent years.  Some parents and schools believe integrating technology is essential to prepare children and teens for the future.  Others feel that screen time should be limited in the classroom and worry about the effects on children.  When one parent in Maryland saw this as a problem, she decided to take action. In 2018, Review of Optometry shared an article detailing Cindy Eckard’s efforts in making screen time changes her child’s school. Though she was raised in a “high-tech family,” she was concerned about the amount of screen time her children were getting. When she learned about her 10-year-old kid spending hours on screens while at school, that concern grew.

Learning More About the Dangers of Screens

Her worries grew when she found out that schools didn’t have any health or safety guidelines surrounding screen time. In doing her own research, Eckard spoke with eye care professionals and filtered through articles learning everything she could about screens and the dreaded “blue light” that comes from them. After learning the dangers that come from hours staring at devices, she knew she needed to act.

Taking Action

Eckard published articles in the Washington Post, Psychology Today, and the Baltimore Sun sharing the dangers of extended screen time. She is also the chief advocate of newly implemented legislation in the state of Maryland. This bill mandates schools to work with health professionals to take proactive measures for digital devices associated with eye health. These steps include guidelines for how long students can be exposed to screens. The approved bill reads:

“Requiring the State Department of Education, in consultation with the Maryland Department of Health, by June 1, 2019, to develop health and safety best practices for the use of digital devices in school classrooms; and requiring the Department, by July 1, 2019, to provide the best practices to each county board and nonpublic school for consideration and adoption.”

Alternate Solutions

Though schools are not required to follow the guidelines, it’s a step in the right direction. Eckard believes this issue gives eye care professionals the opportunity to “become more proactive” and get involved in local schools. EyePromise^® offers another way for doctors and parents to become more proactive in protecting children from the effects of screen time with a brand-new product: Screen Shield™ Teen. Made by the #1 doctor-recommended brand and with all-natural zeaxanthin, Screen Shield Teen is a one-a-day chewable eye health nutraceutical for children ages 4-17. This simple formula can be easily added to a daily multi-vitamin and has the ingredients needed to support developing eyes. Learn more about Screen Shield Teen and how it naturally defends young eyes from the effects of screen time.