Latest news with #AmericanPaediatricAssociation
The National
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Inside the abandoned Iranian bases in Palmyra
Director: Ali Abbasi Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong Rating: 3/5 %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone. Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities. Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed. Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available. Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns. Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family. Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing. Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible. Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions. Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation. Source: American Paediatric Association Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km On sale: Available to order now Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE) Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman) Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman) On sale: Now Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman) AT4 Ultimate, as tested Engine: 6.2-litre V8 Power: 420hp Torque: 623Nm Transmission: 10-speed automatic Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800) On sale: Now Huddersfield Town 0 Chelsea 3 Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80') Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah Rating: 4/5 Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008) Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011) Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018) Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine Updated: March 14, 2025, 6:02 PM
The National
10-03-2025
- Health
- The National
The UAE's solution to excessive screen time
That children and adolescents spend too much time in front of a screen is an undeniable truth of the modern world, and one that many of us are confronted with on a daily basis. It is another matter that often parents and grown-ups are all too often guilty of the charge as well. But the worry is greater regarding younger people, as the possible long-term neurological effects in crucial formative years – physically, mentally and emotionally – from excessive screen time, while still being researched, is a cause of great global concern. One of the guidelines of the American Paediatric Association is: screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation. People of various backgrounds are susceptible to these pernicious realities of the digital age, the fixation with screens, social media and the effects of unchecked access to devices on the development and behaviours of growing children. To address precisely these issues, Abu Dhabi has opened the country's first digital detox clinic for children. The UAE has a reputation for technological innovation, strong health provision and being ahead of the curve. It is thus unsurprising yet creditable that the Emirates would take the lead to tackle a persistent issue that is present in one too many households and devise a six-step programme to help young people and families keep within the bounds of what is permissible screen time and what is excessive and thus unhealthy at several levels. Screen addiction among young people manifests in many different ways: disrupted sleep, deteriorating eyesight and or poor posture – from being exposed to the screen's blue light and hunched over phone screens and holding iPads. In terms of harm caused, last year, an economist and trend analyst Bronwyn Williams even likened social media addiction to smoking. As for the mental and emotional tolls of excessive screen time, they become apparent when children become less socially involved in actual human interactions, feel anxious or withdrawn if the device is taken away from them, and even lose some ability to concentrate on a task for any significant period of time, as attention spans infamously plummet with increased screen time. Dr Dinesh Banur, chair of paediatrics and consultant paediatrician at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre, where the digital detox clinic is based, told The National: "Digital addiction has become one of the most pervasive yet unrecognised health issues of our time.' What can be done about this rests in large part with parents, caregivers and schools, with whom the task of monitoring and setting limits on screen time lies. Beyond those primary guardrails, professional help could increasingly be the third alternative as specialists and clinics, as the one in Abu Dhabi, grow to address this problem. Considering, however, that screens are likely to be a fixture in the modern world and there's no turning back from the digital age – neither are devices likely to be taken away altogether by parents – one part of the solution of the screen time dilemma perhaps lies in communicating the ill-effects, helping young people understand the problem, and persisting, as parents must, in trying to achieve the right balance.
