Health experts advise managing kids' screen time

<p>Excessive screen time can cause a host of negative side effects in kids, but as some Indiana schools go virtual because of the omicron variant, prolonged interaction with technology can be unavoidable.<br> <br> Dr. Derek Sprunger, a professor of clinical ophthalmology in the <a href="https://medicine.iu.edu/" target="_blank">Indiana University School of Medicine's Ophthalmology Department</a>, said parents still can still use several methods to moderate their kids' screen time. He advised limiting kids' exposure to non-education-related technology.<br> <br> "I don't say eliminate, but cut back," he said, "and there's no exact amount of time that you should or shouldn't be doing this, but if you're doing a lot through school, more than typical, cut back on your outside-of-school time, like gaming and things like that."<br> <br> Sprunger said excessive screen time can cause several short-term health effects, including eye fatigue, blurred vision and headaches. According to the Mayo Clinic, it also can lead to irregular sleep and impaired academic performance.<br> <br> In addition to those side effects, Sprunger added that overusing technology also can advance long-term nearsightedness.<br> <br> "This is a more permanent thing," he said. "The things we talked about earlier, if you cut usage of your screen time, that will reverse. Once you induce nearsightedness, that can be a more permanent problem."<br> <br> Dr. Scott Edmonds, chief eye-care officer at <a href="https://newsroom.uhc.com/content/dam/newsroom/UHC-Eyesafe%20-%20Parents%20Guide%20-%2001.10.2022.pdf" target="_blank">United Healthcare</a>, recommended <a href="https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-20-20-rule.pdf" target="_blank">the "20-20-20" rule</a>, breaking up screen time to limit eye strain: For every 20 minutes folks spend staring at a computer, he said, they should take 20 seconds to observe something at least 20 feet away.<br> <br> "That break takes you away from the blue light, lets your pupil go to its normal size, lets