HPA urges parents to keep kids off devices to protect their eye health

HPA urges parents to keep kids off devices to protect their eye health

2024-03-11

More than 60% of Taiwanese people are shortsighted. The Health Promotion Administration has launched a new campaign to encourage parents to pay more attention to kids’ eye health in the early years. Until the age of 12, children have what is known as a “hyperopia reserve.” That means they start will good eyesight which may deteriorate. But good eyesight can be prolonged with good habits. Taking breaks from screens and spending lots of time outdoors are the main tips for protecting eye health.

A preschooler leads his parents in a performance of the “Eye Health Bop.”

Preschooler
In the lyrics, it teaches us how to look after our eyes.

Parent
The lyrics tell us that we need to go outside often and stay off digital devices.

The “Eye Health Bop” includes lines with tips on eye care and health habits to cultivate. For every 30 minutes you work on a screen, rest your eyes for 10 minutes. Spend at least two hours outdoors every day. The song is highlighting the importance of eye health for children and parents.

Wei Hsi-lun
Health promotion Administration deputy head
Almost every child has what we call a hyperopia reserve. That’s why we always want children of preschool or school age to delay the onset of shortsightedness. That reduces the risk of extreme shortsightedness in the future.

Many people get shortsighted in childhood. On average the degree will increase by 75 to 100 degrees every year, eventually impacting life and study capacities. How can you prevent that? Families have a lot of influence in how they bring up and educate their kids.

Yeh Yu-ching
Professor of early childhood education, NCYU
Don’t give them devices. You want to delay the use of phones for as long as possible. If they don’t use them in preschool, they can always use them at elementary school. If they don’t use them at elementary school, they can use them in junior high. I think that delaying it as much as possible is an extremely important point. Secondly, you must spend time with your children. When children feel bored, they actually need someone there, a family member to spend time with them.

A survey by the Health Promotion Administration shows that spending more than 11 hours outdoors per week will reduce the incidence of developing shortsightedness within one year by 55%. But in this age of technology, more and more pre-school children are using digital devices. Caring for our eyesight is lifelong. Helping kids develop good habits could protect them from extreme shortsightedness for life.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

遠離惡視力! 國健署:12歲以前掌握"遠視儲備量"

2024-03-11

台灣人超過6成是近視族，兒童接觸3C產品的頻率也愈來愈高。國健署呼籲家長，孩童應該在12歲以前掌握"遠視儲備量"，日常生活父母也能帶著孩子一起遵循"護眼原則"，像是注意用眼30分鐘休息10分鐘，養成良好的用眼習慣。

幼稚園大班的小弟弟，帶著爸媽一起跳的，是"愛眼健康操"。

[[幼稚園小朋友]]
“那個歌詞裡面就有教我們怎麼護眼。”

[[家長]]
“(歌詞)讓我們了解說，我們要常常走出戶外，然後遠離3C。”

愛眼健康操的歌詞裡面，融入護眼小秘訣，搭配"護眼原則"的好習慣，遵循用眼30分鐘、休息10分鐘，和每天到戶外活動120分鐘以上，讓家長和孩子們了解護眼運動的重要。

[[國健署副署長魏璽倫]]
“幾乎每個孩子，都有所謂的遠視儲備量，所以這就是為什麼，我們一直希望在學齡前，學齡期之間，如果能夠把近視延緩，其實後面造成高度近視的風險就會降低。”

小小年紀就近視，隨著年齡增長，平均每年會加深75到100度，進而影響生活學習。如何預防?家長的教育方式和陪伴，相當重要!

[[嘉義大學幼教系教授葉郁菁]]
"不給(3C產品)就是要盡量延緩孩子使用手機的時間，他能夠幼兒園不用，能夠到國小再用，國小不用能夠到國中再用，我覺得盡量去延緩，這是一個非常重要的關鍵點。第二個就是一定要陪伴，因為孩子他無聊的時候，他其實是需要有人，家人去陪伴他。”

根據國健署調查，每週從事戶外活動超過11小時，一年平均可以減少55%的近視發生率。在科技時代的浪潮下，幼兒接觸3C產品難免，而愛護眼睛從小開始，養成良好的使用習慣，遠離高度近視風險。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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