Setting limits on screen time for kids can yield positive results

Setting limits on screen time for kids can yield positive results, including improved sleep, better grades, less aggressive behavior, and lower risk of obesity, new research published Monday says.

"Parents have a much more of a profound effect on their child's wellbeing than they realize," lead researcher Douglas Gentile, a developmental psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State, told Yahoo Shine.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed the media habits of more than 1,300 Iowa and Minnesota schoolchildren already involved in an obesity-prevention program. Between the start of the study and seven months later, researchers saw a significant difference in kids who had screen-time limits compared to those who did not.

Kids whose parents set boundaries for watching shows or movies or playing video games got a better night's sleep, improved academically, demonstrated pro-social behavior, and even had a healthier body mass index.

"What we saw was this kind of ripple effect," Gentile said.

Children spend an average of 40-plus hours a week in front of a screen at home. And a related study by Common Sense Media found that 72 percent of children under 8, as well as 38 percent of children under 2, have used a mobile device.

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its recommendations Monday, suggesting parents limit kids' screen time to no more than two hours a day.

"Young people now spend more time with media than they do in school - it is the leading activity for children and teenagers other than sleeping," the new policy states, according to The Associated Press.

Tips to limit kids' screen time include controlling what type of content they're watching, setting up an allowance system and being a good role model.

"When kids are around, set an example by using media the way you want them to use it," suggests Common Sense Media's Vice President of Research Seeta Pai.