American Heart Association recommends limited screen time for children

The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of time a child spends in front of the screen because it could impact their heart health.

Dr. Oscar Munoz, an interventional cardiologist at Del Sol Medical Center recommended one to two hours of screen time for children and teens.

The AHA reported kids ages 8 to 18 are estimated to spend more than seven hours a day on smartphones, tablets, video games or in front of a television.

Dr. Munoz explained that because so many hours are spent in front of the screen, children are doing enough physical activity.

“This is a beautiful age when you can really reverse the changes,” Munoz said.

Inactivity is a factor that could lead to childhood obesity.

A spokesman for the American Heart Association said screen time is associated with being overweight and obese which is associated with high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

“Once those risk factors, such as obesity, are in play in childhood, they tend to continue into adulthood,” said pediatric cardiologist Dr. Stephen Daniels.

To read the full study, click here.