Ask the Mediatrician: Is it OK for my baby to video chat with his grandparents?

I’d like to video chat with my 3-month-old grandson on my phone. His parents are concerned that the video emitted from the screen will affect his brain development and eyes. Any advice will be helpful! ~ Nana, New York, NY Dear Nana, This is a great question and one many of today’s parents face when thinking about sharing their children’s lives with faraway friends and relatives. Here are five things you may not know about video chatting and young children. A smartphone is OK — a laptop or desktop is even better. Today’s flat screens do not emit any radiation other than light. Smartphones do emit some electromagnetic radiation, and while there are mixed data on potential dangers, the best evidence indicates that the greatest risk involved is if the phone is held against the head, rather than looked at from a distance as is done with FaceTime, Skype and other video chat applications. Babies learn more from video chat than from educational videos. Research shows that children 12-25 months old learn better from real time interactive video chat with adults than from educational videos. This is likely because video chat allows an adult to react to the individual child and tailor their actions to best suit the child. Video chat is better than TV. Researchers have also found that as early as six months of age, babies are able to tell when a person on a screen is interacting with them in real time as opposed to the passive screen images they see when they watch ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Ask the Expert Parenting Ask the Mediatrician screen time Source Type: news